The Training of the Heart
by Vira9494
Summary: A Robin and Amon Pairing. R&R! [Completed!] Robin is being trained under Amon, her instructor, to become a witch hunter. But will he learn something in the process as well? And can Robin soften his cold heart to make him capable of loving?
1. Default Chapter

Hey everyone! Thought this would be a good time to start my Witch Hunter Robin fic. My Sess/Kag story is wrapping up and now I need something else to work on…so I made this! Before we begin, some A/Ns:

1) I definitely do NOT own Witch Hunter Robin, but man that'd be cool…

2) Although the current rating for this is PG-13, that may change to R depending on which way I wish to take with this story. Just as a heads up.

3) As my readers know from my other fanfics, I update my website with the new chapters whenever I update. Normally I put the unedited version of the story on there (ie- for a lemon) so you can alternatively go there as well to view this story. I also have fanart and other things on there, so check it out! ^____^

4) I'm currently looking for a good beta reader or so to read this story and make any changes as you see fit.  If you're interested in helping me out with this story, contact me via review or e-mail. My only requirement is that you MUST have at least one story that has at the bare minimum an average of 10 reviews per chapter. If you qualify, tell me!

5) Lastly, if you're confused about _anything _while reading this, PLEASE don't hesitate to ask me! I'm always happy to answer questions.

I think that's all for now. And don't worry lol, most of my chapters won't have that many A/Ns in them. Well now that we have that over with, here's the first chapter to the story! Enjoy:

~~~***~~~

_The heart is a fragile thing. It is the center of a being…yet it can break so easily. A weak heart will be consumed by regret and bitterness, but a rightfully strong heart will live on. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Amon walked into the STN-J classroom quietly. It had been unused since last spring. Well, now it would start over again. New faces he was unfamiliar with; new names he had to learn. It was the same thing every year in this place.

It wasn't really a traditional classroom. True, there was a chalkboard…desks…windows…chairs…but he had no real use for them. They were only one section of the room—the rest was just a training area. Different items were brought in earlier; customized to each of the student's abilities. Copper wires for the boy with the electrical craft. A small pool of water for the girl who could control liquids to practice on. A kid who had the ability to smash rocks…now would have plenty to work with.

So, this wasn't a _real _classroom…it was a training area for potential hunters. And Amon was expected to teach them about it and help the young craft users to wield them properly. But the reality was, how could he? Every student was different as he had learned many times, and so was their craft. How could they expect _him _to know exactly what it was like and what they were going through? Regardless of this however, he was about to go through the same process again in about an hour.

Amon looked at his checklist. Was everything here? He scanned down the pages carefully. No…no, this room was missing its supply of Orbo. Of course—the key element to the whole ideal. But how could headquarters have forgotten about it? Surely they must've made extra precautions to bring it.

He had always despised the thought of using Orbo in his classroom. True, there were many safety hazards within having a dozen or so craft users in the same room at once. But it had always been implied by Solomon that that you could never trust these students completely. One of them could be a witch…one of them couldn't be left alone. This veil of suspicion had, without fail, always fallen upon the classroom ever year. He needed to watch them carefully, for any…signs.

It was then that he remembered—there had been a key on his desk. A note attached said one word: 'closet.' Amon picked it up and walked over to the specified place. The key fit, and as he had expected, there lay the missing Orbo. He picked a box up and set it down near his desk.

It wouldn't be needed today.

Amon sat down and glanced through the list of names again. He had never heard of any of them, but that was probably for the best. There were some interesting crafts this year, he noticed. Some would be difficult to control and maintain, but headquarters seemed to think he was up for the challenge.

He heard the class's door open suddenly. "…Amon?" A voice called. "You in here yet?" He looked around to see a head peer through, glancing in the room for him.

It was Karasuma. She was an instructor here as well, only not for the actual training, but rather just a regular teacher. She taught the concept behind becoming a hunter—why they used the Orbo, how witches could become potentially dangerous to society, and the different ways a person's power could surface after years of staying dormant in the body. Although Karasuma was only 19 she showed a definite sign of becoming the best instructor in the facility. But she also served another purpose with her job…Karasuma was an unofficial counselor for the students. She was the only person among them who had an abnormal ability herself…the ability to feel emotions—perfect for a counselor. Many times students would come to her for advice. They had questions about their crafts, which she would try to answer.

Amon nodded and motioned absently for her to come in.

"Amon, there's going to be a short meeting before the lessons begin. All the instructors are required to attend, so…"

"I see. That's fine—I'll be there shortly." She nodded and left.

So that's how it was, then. Amon put the list down and stood up. He had forgotten for some reason about the traditional meeting held in the coffee room for instructors the morning before the students would arrive. Kosaka would give a short speech about what he expected this year for both trainers and potential craft users. Amon wasn't looking forward to it; the same way he hadn't been for years now. He knew there was a hidden message behind it…'don't screw this up, we need the funds.' He sighed in annoyance and walked out of the room.

~~~***~~~

Amon walked into the coffee room and was immediately handed a drink from Hattori. He took it grudgingly and sat down. Everyone arrived one by one. Karasuma and Hattori were already there, of course. A few more instructors came, and then Nagira, his half brother, entered cautiously. Anyone could tell that, much like Amon, he didn't want to be here. He sat down in an annoyed way and waited. "At least this will be over with soon, eh Amon?" Nagira said without looking at him. "So many years, but this'll never change…"

Amon glanced at him. "You could say that." Nagira was the trainer specifically for the potential hunters who had no craft of their own. Morally he had always opposed the hunts, but that sense of righteousness had changed for the most part when a witch with telekinesis had killed one of his friends from high school, among others, in a subway accident. Nagira never really spoke much about it but Amon could tell that it had changed him.

Next came Michael. He carried his laptop in an exhausted way and sat down with a cup of coffee. He had probably been up all night again. Michael was a fresh graduate from the last year of being here. He failed the actual training as a hunter but it was discovered he had another hidden talent, which was better—his skillfulness with the computer. Zaizen saw this ability and let Michael pass the course—certainly not as a hunter, but as a kind of security guard for the computer system. His job was simple: to make sure no one broke in, and nothing came out. A leak in information could cause the entire facility to shut down, and that couldn't happen. Michael opened up his laptop immediately and started typing.

Then there was Touko. Nobody really knew what she did. Touko took a bagel and stood off to the side. She was the person who made sure everyone else was in check, and as Zaizen's daughter no one really questioned her authority. Amon wondered if she honestly ever wanted to be here or if 'Daddy' had made her. Touko would help out wherever she was needed in the building. She also happened to be Amon's current attachment, though he was growing bored of her more and more as the days came and went. She smiled a little at him, and he nodded back to her.

Lastly came Kosaka. He cleared his throat to call attention to everyone. They looked at him slowly. Kosaka oversaw everything that went on in the training center, and it was his job to report to Zaizen all the things that went on during the day…both good and bad. If anything went wrong, he was normally held responsible regardless of the situation. Therefore, it came as of no surprise for anyone that he was always impatient and rigid.

"Is everyone here…? Yes? Good. Okay, before we get started, does anyone here have anything missing from his or her room? Chairs, practice equipment, things like that?" They shook their heads. "Perfect, then. It's a relief to know everything is running so smoothly." Kosaka glanced out the window. "In about another hour the potential hunters will be here, ready to learn about the art to capturing a witch. Most of you know the drill behind this, but for the newly added staff members this year we should go over Solomon's expectations for us again." He paused and looked at them.

"Our mission as instructors is simple: add new hunters to the STN-J in order to push back the growing number of witches here in this city. Some will use a craft, and others won't. Over the years I have learned that…"

Amon glanced at his watch. Already Kosaka's droning voice was fading away from his mind. It was the same old speech year after year. Regrettably, each time it grew longer and longer. He leaned slightly further into his chair.

"Kosaka never changes, eh Amon?" Nagira whispered. "Look at him—he's talking so urgently you'd think something had _already _gone wrong. Kinda makes you wonder how he would react if something bad really _did _happen."

"He doesn't want Solomon to pull funds." Amon whispered back. "If anything goes wrong we're shut down…no questions asked."

His brother shrugged. "One of these days his stress level will kill him…"

"…Which is the whole point of this program. Are you listening, Nagira?" Kosaka gave him an annoyed look. Nagira shrugged, with a look of amusement on his face. Kosaka sighed. "Oh, why do I even bother…none of you were listening anyways…" he mumbled. "I guess this meeting is adjourned. Everyone can go back to their rooms now…" He walked in a defeated sort of way over to the coffee machine and took a cup. By the time he looked up again from pouring it, everyone had already filed out.

~~~***~~~

"Amon." A voice said behind him. He turned to see Touko walking up to him. "Let's…walk around the building for a little bit. We have plenty of time, I think."

He knew inside he'd rather not, as Amon liked to be fully prepared in his classroom before the day would begin and the students came. But Amon nodded anyways, and together they walked down the hallway.

After a few moments Touko commented, "I'm glad that thing is over with. Everyone looked restless after just a few moment of listening to him. I hate those meetings of his."

"He does that so we know what is expected of us as instructors. We have our goals that we need to accomplish. Kosaka needed to tell the newcomers about everything in order to avoid later confusion. He was only doing his job."

Touko said nothing to this, and an awkward silence ensued. They turned a corner and saw that Nagira, Karasuma, and Michael were all gathered there, discussing a topic in the corner.

Karasuma smiled. "Hello Touko, Amon." The two nodded to her and they leaned against the nearest wall. She turned back to the conversation prior to their entrance. "So Michael, what exactly made you want to originally become a hunter anyways?"

Michael thought for a few moments. "Well, to tell you the truth hunting never appealed to me all that much. But…I had heard the STN-J has one of the best computer systems in the world, and I wanted to see it for myself. However, before I could do _that _I needed to pass the basic training here. But…I was never good with that stuff. Fortunately Zaizen saw my true talent and he allowed me to pass."

"Good to have you aboard, then!" Nagira said cheerfully. He gave him a hearty pat on the back. Michael coughed at the impact.

Suddenly Kosaka's voice could be heard on the intercom. "What are you _doing? _The students will be here in fifteen minutes! Get back to your rooms at once!" The five of them looked up to the camera on the wall eyeing them, with Kosaka on the other end. They walked away quickly.

~~~***~~~

Amon sat down in his chair. A quick glance at the window told him the students were beginning to enter the building. Their faces were bright…hopeful. The same type of expression he had seen many times at the beginning of the year. It was still the same.

He picked up a few papers on his desk in boredom and shuffled through them. At the bottom of the stack he noticed there was a note from Zaizen.

**Amon:**

**            The Orbo for your room is in the closet, and you've probably noticed the key on your desk. This year we have changed policies concerning the Orbo. For the first week or so the potential trainers should not be exposed to it. They need time to settle in and learn more about what exactly this program does. They won't understand the importance of it yet, and may refuse to use it. So, we must wait a little longer. Keep your Orbo supply in the closet for now until I say otherwise. My order will come through Kosaka. This same message has been given to the other training rooms. Again, until my word is given, you are not to expose the students to the Orbo.**

Amon tossed the message in the trash nearby and stood up. So that was how it was going to be, then. The box of Orbo he had taken out earlier was still sitting on his desk. Amon picked it up and placed it back in the closet.

Suddenly, he heard his cell phone ring. Amon rummaged through his pocket and removed the device. "…Hello?"

"Amon? This is Kosaka. I would do this over the intercom but some of the students are already in the building." Amon stared at the window again with indifference. "I'm calling all the instructors quickly just to double check things. I had forgotten to mention this at the meeting earlier this morning, you see…"

It was of no surprise.

"Amon, did you read the message left on your desk yet from Zaizen?"

"Yes, I did."

"Good, then you should know about the change of plans with the Orbo."

"That's correct."

"Excellent. I first heard of the new policy yesterday and, to me, it seemed a bit uncharacteristic of Zaizen. However, I'm sure he must have very good reasons for it, so we'll continue to follow his instructions for the time being."

"That's fine." Amon answered monotonously.

"Good. And I hope I'm not interrupting anything with this call? Have any students entered your room yet for the day?"

He looked to the door. "No, none so far."

"Okay. Well I don't want to trouble you any longer. I hope everything goes well." Kosaka hung up and Amon put the phone back in his pocket. He sat back down in his chair by the desk to wait.

~~~***~~~

Suddenly, he heard the door open and close quietly. Amon turned the chair around to see. It was a girl. She had her hair in tight pigtails with a black dress that comfortably reached the floor. Her long bangs lazily fell on her face and to the side. Her eyes were the most curious feature however, with a crystal green color that looked around the room curiously.

"Um…is this…the room used for training a craft? Room 106?" She asked him quietly.

"Yes, that's correct." He answered. Amon looked at her from far away at his desk. The girl walked delicately past him and set a sheet down on one of the desks designed for students.

She gave him a faint smile. "You must be Mr. Amon?"

He nodded. "There's no need for formalities. Just call me Amon."

"Oh…alright, Amon then. I'm not originally from this country, so I don't really know how different people like to be addressed here." She smiled a little again and sat down. The girl took out a book from underneath the coat she had wrapped up in her arms and began reading. Her eyes flew fast over the text, although she held it to her face abnormally close; as if she couldn't quite see it properly.

For a few moments they were all alone in silence. Amon wondered to himself what her craft was. She didn't look too dangerous on the surface. Why would she want to hunt? The girl didn't seem like the type, although her brow was set with a kind of determinacy that Amon did not yet understand. Again he wondered about her craft. He could've easily learned it too, by asking her about it or glancing down on the list once he knew her name. However, he would find out eventually anyways, so it didn't really matter. But then…

"My craft is the ability to create fire." She said, looking back at him over the edges of her book. How long had he been looking at her? Before Amon could respond, the door to the room opened once more, and the students began to file through.

This girl was very mysterious indeed.

Well? What do you guys think so far? ^_____^ Confused? Intrigued? Tell me your thoughts! R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


	2. The First Day

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the reviews. Really appreciate it! ^___^ Again, I don't own WHR. Uh, guess I don't have any other A/Ns to state…oh! Also, my Inuyasha fic is complete, so go visit! And now, here's the second chappy:

~~~***~~~

_Emotions can be twisted in the cruelest of ways. Some are stronger than others, but that does not prevent the inevitable for every one of us. All sediments are capable of crumbling within seconds of having been formed. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Amon waited a few moments for all the students to enter and settle in the room before taking attendance. All of them chattered pleasantly with their neighbors…save one. The strange girl who was the first to enter the room continued to sit there and read calmly, ignoring what was happening around her. There was something extraordinary about her that Amon couldn't place his finger on. Yet.

"Quiet down, everyone." Amon gruffly said to them, standing up. When the conversations gradually died down, he took the sheet of paper from his desk. "My name is Amon, and you will be calling me that for the rest of the year." His introduction of himself was always short and to the point. Just the way he preferred it. "In this room you will learn the art of perfecting your crafts to a finely tuned skill. Now…when I call your name, raise your hand so we can be done with it." He held up the sheet of paper. The attendance sheet conveniently gave a brief background bio on them as well.

"Ryobe Amori." A boy in the far corner raised his hand. Amon glanced through his bio. He had worked on a farm with a family of eight until one day while scanning down the shelves for a book in the library, he had found a book of spells, and so his power developed slowly into a handy skill. His craft was the ability to melt things to a puddle.

"Melissa Clarke." A girl this time. Born in England, she discovered she had a special craft when she entered an exchange program and learned more about the witch hunters. Melissa had the ability to levitate certain things.

"Seka Hoshino." Another girl. She had two buck teeth and was crunching a stick of pocky in such a way that Amon knew it would annoy him for the rest of the year. She had developed the craft to control the wind about a year back.

"Tsutomu Iseya." This boy had run a small shoe shop with his father until he became bored of it and secretly trained to become a craft user without his father's knowledge. He could shoot out impulse waves at will—a very useful craft to have.

"Maeko Kareko." She held her hand up in such a way that, to Amon, she appeared to be afraid. Although she was born in Japan, Maeko moved to China and stayed there for the majority of her life. She was the girl who could control all forms of liquid.

"Akahito Kitao." One glance at him told Amon already that he wouldn't pass. He was in the process of making a paper airplane and scoffed when his name was called. His craft was the power to create strong electrical charges.

"Kojuro Komatsuzaki." This boy had lived in the slums his whole life with his parents and three siblings. In order to make money and help support his family, he had applied to become a hunter. Kojuro could freeze anything upon touch.

"Teruyo Matsumara." Amon glanced at her. She had the reddest hair color he had even seen for a woman—it was almost assuredly dyed. Teruyo's craft was the ability to twist and flatten objects, no matter how thick or how big.

"Elijah Morris." One look at him told Amon that he had a Middle Eastern background. According to the bio, he was adopted by a family in the United States and then was transferred here. Elijah could slide objects around with his telekinetic capability.

"Atsutane Mutsu." A boy with dark circles under his eyes had raised his hand. The sheet said that both of his parents had died tragically when he was very young and soon after, Atsutane was placed in an orphanage, where he lived amongst all the other children who had no family of their own. He could form an unbreakable barrier around anything.

"Kazumi Narahashi." The girl to the far corner raised her hand. She had lived with her grandmother with a younger brother all her life. In order to have some income she decided to apply as a hunter. Kazumi could control the brightness and darkness of a light.

"Aiko Numajiri." Another girl looked up in an annoyed way at Amon as she was just finishing the final layer of painting on her nails. Amon's eyes narrowed angrily and she quickly put the bottle away. Aiko could create short airwaves that could cut through anything.

"Yosai Okuda." A boy who was rather large in size raised his hand. It came as no surprise, really—his father ran an ice cream parlor. Apparently his parents had finally forced him to find a job on his own, and so, here he was. Yosai could smash anything without actual physical contact.

"Namiko Omori." She raised her hand politely in the far back of the room. Both of her parents were important employees of a big corporation and therefore they traveled a lot, never seeing their daughter much, which Amon could tell she regretted by the look of her face. She could control sound waves to make a shrill, unbearable sound.

"Steven Robertson." He pushed his glasses up and held his hand high at the sound of his name. He lived alone with his mother and soon became obsessed with the concept of becoming a hunter. He could create powerful lights of harmful energy.

"Sudaharu Royama." The boy nodded to him. By the way he was dressed Amon could tell that he was in a kind of gang. Sudaharu had a smirk on his face that Amon didn't like. His craft was the ability to knock a person on the ground with a sudden, strong force.

"Robin Sena." The girl Amon had spoken to earlier looked at him from behind her book and nodded. According to her background information, both of her parents died and she was now living with her grandfather by a church. Robin had traveled all over the world but decided to settle down here. She could light things on fire at will. She smiled politely.

"Kazuko Shiomi." A boy who looked very quiet raised his hand. He had perhaps the most mysterious craft—instead of having a true one of his own, Kazuko could copy any other craft from a hunter and magnify their power for them.

"Yuma Shirasu." She looked up from hearing her name. A glance at her desk told Amon she had been drawing. She had recently graduated from the academy a few blocks down and wanted to make it as a hunter. Yuma could cause an instant seizure to anyone at will.

"Sakamae Takano." This was another graduate from the academy, with perfect grades. In Amon's eyes however, she was just another annoying over-achiever, especially because she was one of the daring few to sit up front. Sakamae could generate illusions to an enemy that would appear to be real.

'…And that makes twenty.' Amon thought. He threw the paper in the trash and sat back down at his desk. He looked at the students, who were looking back at him patiently. Amon cleared his throat. "As you just saw, I threw away the sheet of paper with your names on it. I do not intend to learn each of your names and become very acquainted with you. In fact, attendance will never be taken again in here. From this moment on, it's purely your choice whether or not you attend this class. As long as your craft is perfect by the end of this year I don't care if you show up or not. It'd be a waste of everyone's time otherwise."

Just as there had been in years past, a murmur of whispers swept through the students. It was always the same reaction. Was this guy for real? Did he really mean it? Would someone actually call his bluff? But nobody dared to move, so instead, Amon stood up and walked to the back of the room. Bodies swiveled around and all eyes followed him. He reached the end of the room and stopped, facing them. "We will also never use those desks and chairs again. Stand up." They stared at him with mixed looks of confusion, anxiousness, and annoyance, but gradually they left their chairs.

"Now, come over here." Again they obeyed reluctantly. "This is where you will be training with your crafts for the rest of the year. Each of you will have a certain station where you can practice. There you will notice different equipment, customized for each of your crafts. Today we will start to have a feel for all of the objects and materials." He began to turn and walk away, but then added as an afterthought, "…And don't break anything."

~~~***~~~

He sat back down at his desk and watched them with one eye. Most of them seemed to get the general idea pretty quickly. There were some people however, like Akahito and Sudaharu, who didn't seem to quite care and stood off to the side, flicking paper at some of the girls in a bored way.

"It's their loss." He muttered.

Suddenly his cell phone rang. Amon dug into his pockets and pulled it out. "Hello?"

"Amon, it's Michael. Is everything okay in your training area? We've been having a few problems here and there all morning, so…"

Amon glanced at them again. "No, everything's fine. The students are using their practice equipment for the first time. Michael, what happened this morning? What's going on?"

"Well some of the students went to the wrong room, and…" There was a pause. "A person named Doujima Yurika accidentally set off the practice gun she was given and shot a boy named Sakaki Haruto in the chest inside the training room for the non-craft users. If it wasn't for the fact that we only use rubber bullets for practice, he'd be very dead, and we'd be shut down."

"…Wasn't Nagira watching them?"

"Yeah…sort of. He has a big class this year, and obviously he can't watch _everyone _at once…"

Amon said nothing.

"Well, I guess I better get going…I have a lot of stuff to take care of around here. Talk to you later Amon." He heard a click, and then put the cell phone back in his pocket.

~~~***~~~

When Amon looked up again, he didn't like what he saw. The boy named Akahito was apparently too bored of flicking pieces of paper at the girls, so instead he began to shock them with small electrical impulses. Amon's eyes narrowed angrily.

And then, he hit Robin.

She turned to him and gave Akahito a look filled with ice. The boy grinned. "What?"

Robin sighed and turned around to continue practicing her craft. But Akahito did again with more electricity this time. Robin whirled around with angry eyes. "I don't appreciate that very much. Please stop."

Akahito rolled his eyes. "Yeah, what're you going to do about it?" He created another electrical shock that touched her body, but she never even flinched.

Amon walked quickly to the closet. Zaizen told him not to use it, but the safety hazard was too great. He pulled out the key…

"STOP." Robin said harshly. Everyone looked at her. Robin's eyes grew wide and fire leapt into the air. Amon assumed the idea was to block Akahito's electrical attacks but they missed their mark and instead the flame fell and disintegrated to the left.

Akahito chuckled. "What, that all you have? Don't tell me you expect to become a witch hunter when you can't use your own craft properly!" Amon turned the handle and reached inside…

"Shut. Up." She sent another flame up. This time, it was successful in hitting the electricity and stopped it from coming at her. This, Amon knew, was just a lucky shot that wouldn't happen again.

"Don't make me laugh." The boy chuckled. He prepared to shoot another charge.

"What's going ON here?" Kosaka opened the door. "I heard some shouts coming from here and-" He looked at Akahito. "…Are you the culprit, young man?" The boy shook his head furiously, but the other students around him nodded quickly. "Just as I thought. Come with me." Kosaka pulled him away.

Amon shut the closet.

~~~***~~~

Fortunately for all of them, the rest of the training time went smoothly. The students practiced working on their crafts carefully and responsibly. Soon, the hour rolled by and eventually it was time to leave. Amon glanced at his watch and dismissed them when the time reached 9 o' clock. Most of them filed out of the room, but one remained behind.

Amon saw her approach him. "…Yes?" He didn't really have time for small talk, so he hoped it was important.

"Oh, um, I was just wondering something…" Robin's eyes flew to the ground and she shuffled her feet for a moment. She looked up at him. "Um, well it's nothing really…" Her voice trailed off.

Amon raised an eyebrow. This one was definitely different from the others…he was certain of it now. "If you have something on your mind, say so." Why was he so intrigued by her? He couldn't explain it…

Robin glanced to her right. "Well…it's just that, when Akahito and I had our…'dispute,' I saw you open the closet over there." She nodded over to the closet he had run to earlier…the one with the Orbo.

Amon stared at her. Had she seen…?

"…I don't know why, but I suddenly sensed something…something, well, bad. I can't explain it, but it was the first time I had ever felt anything like that." She looked at the closet. "Even now, I sense a feeling of dread from it…"

Amon looked down at the papers on his desk and shuffled them absently. "Try not to worry about it, Robin. You'll find out what's in there after about a week or two of training."

"Oh. Well, can I take a look just to reassure myself? I need to know…"

"No. It's important that we keep the contents inside there hidden until the proper date. You'd do best to forget about it."

Robin said nothing. He looked up at her from his work. Her green eyes pierced into him and for a few moments he could say nothing. Eventually her resolve wavered and she bowed gracefully. "…I'm sorry to have troubled you. Thank you for your time." Robin stood up again and began to leave.

"Wait." He said. She turned back to him curiously. "Robin, you appear to be the type that isn't satisfied unless you hear and understand the whole truth. I say this for your own good: try not to think about it anymore."

Before she could respond, Amon's students for his second class began to enter. Robin smiled sweetly and nodded, and then she left the room. When she was gone, Amon shook his head and sat back down at his desk. Why did he just do that? He probably made her even _more _interested. Amon thought about this no more, however, as the next class had begun.

~~~***~~~

Amon sat down grudgingly at the table and began to eat. This was the table for all the instructors, and soon the others joined him. Judging by the look on their faces, they each had a terrible day during the last few hours. Amon said nothing and chewed his food quietly.

"Hey." He heard a voice say behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Touko walk by and sit next to him. She placed her food down gently and glanced at him. "Amon? Is something…wrong?"

"No, nothing." He answered, and then continued to chew his food without further response.

"Oh…okay." Touko remained silent and began to stab at her salad with a fork. After awhile his brother made his entrance. Nagira sat across from them and dug into his bowl of pasta and meat. His expression was also an altogether unpleasant one and he didn't look up at them.

Michael yawned and bit into a doughnut. "Well, THAT was an interesting morning…"

Karasuma smiled. "I have some great potential hunters, I think. For the most part nothing went wrong. What about you guys?"

Nobody said anything, and Karasuma took this as a sign not to ask any further. Amon glanced out the nearby window and saw the girl named Robin walking down the path. "She must be going to lunch." He thought. And right now that didn't seem like a bad idea to him either…

Review Responses:

Stacerue: ^____^ Yay, another fan of TIKAQ *hugs* Well thanks for stopping by! Glad you enjoy the story so far!

Seed-of-Flame: Arigato, will do!

Gina: Wow, you really think so? Lol, well thank you very much, and of course I'll keep writing.

cali1043: *confused* really? I thought they were more of an aqua-ish-sea-teal type thing. Lol my bad! ^_^

Angel Of Light and Darkness: *blush* Thanks so much! Hope you'll keep reading!

Haruya: Lol yes one of the greatest fears for all fanfic writers are characters who are OOC. Amon in particular is realllly hard to portray (you never know what he's thinking lol) but I think I'm up for the challenge. ^___^

me want Amon: Hehe I want him to! =D err…anyways, yeah I feel dumb for not remembering that…well I've changed it now.

vegetasprincess1: Arigato! Good to know!

Kagome of Spring Dances: lol really? I was worried how people would react but I'm glad for all the positive feedback!

Mourning-kun: Thanks! ^_^ Hope you'll read more!

Row: Lol, the name of my Sess/Kag story is called 'The Involuntary King and Queen' (see profile) and it's rated R. I just posted the last chappy, so take a look! ^___^

Wake-Robin: Hehe, yeah I liked that little twist as well…Robin's so cool.

Lafine: Heh yeah I'm a big one for AU I guess…

mE: ^____^ why thank you! There's the update for you!

FireStarter: Lol, yep! Right now! Here ya go!

Tori-Sama: Hehe yeah I love them as a couple. So kawaii =D

Little Natsu: *feels honored* I hope you read more of these fics, they're really quite good!

obsessed14: __ Gaaahhh, no it's NOT Harry Potter. Lol I was waiting for someone to bring it up…well anyways it's different because they're not exactly being _taught_…just having the proper training. I guess.

Kakali: Glad to hear it! ^___^ hope you'll continue reading this!

Amon's Girl: lol, I'd fight you for him. ;) But seriously, thanks lots for the review, hope you'll read more! ^_^

Saiyan under cover: I certainly will! ^_^

…Guess that's all. Thanks so much for reviewing everyone! Twenty-one, wow! Not a bad start for the first chappy, eh? Sorry you guys had to read through that attendance list, but it's important to know, really! More feedback is welcome! There's more to come of course! And now my Inuyasha fic has just been completed, so you can view the whole story there! R&R! Arigato, ja ne! ^_____^


	3. The New Companions

Hey everyone! Vira's back and ready for another update! I'm really glad that this fic seems to be liked by generally everyone who reads it. I was scared a little AU wouldn't go over so well! Well again, don't own WHR, and here's the next update:

~~~***~~~

_Friendship is essential to happiness. If there is no level of fondness between one another then there can never be a sense of trust, understanding, or faith. Without it comes betrayal, revenge, and hopelessness. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Robin walked down the pathway. She had never liked cafeteria food and so she had decided to go out somewhere for lunch. "Now where did I park again…?" She sighed—this wasn't the first time Robin had lost her motorbike in a filled parking lot.

As she walked, she thought about the happenings of the day so far. It wasn't quite how she thought it would be. Robin knew she was different from the other students, but she had no idea that one of them would actually _attack _her. Robin's eyes burning just _thinking _about that incident.

Robin knew something like that would happen eventually, however. Ever since her parents died, whom she had no memories of, Robin had become a different girl…or at least that was what she had heard from people. Trouble seemed to follow her. Robin was traded between relatives, and consequently moved from state to state, and country to country. Eventually she moved in with her grandfather and the nuns here. Her childhood had not been pleasant. Her ability to set things on fire caused the other children to distance themselves from her. But Robin didn't mind…she was used to it. Then, she grew up little by little and her grandfather, who she honestly loved, decided Robin should train to become a witch hunter. So, she applied for the STN-J and had managed to become accepted.

…And that was her life story in a few words. Suddenly Robin gasped in delight. "_There _you are!!" She ran up to her motorbike and sat on. She put her helmet happily on her head and sped off. "Now, where should I go?" Robin was vaguely unfamiliar with this particular area. She went left off the corner of the STN-J building and drove around. Robin would find something eventually…there was always a place to eat every few blocks, she reasoned.

~~~***~~~

Robin pulled in at a local diner and set her kickstand in place before walking into the old-fashioned restaurant. Robin glanced at the menu for a few seconds and ordered the thing on the menu that looked the healthiest—water and some sort of soup that she had never heard of before. Soon her order came and she sat down in one of the booths.

As Robin stirred her spoon in the soup, she thought about her first class again thoughtfully.

Amon. She…had mixed first impressions on him. Robin wasn't used to addressing one of her teachers without some sort of formal attachment. But that wasn't the only thing that she found very unusual about him. She had always been good with reading people's emotions, but with Amon…it was different somehow. She would probably _never _know what he was thinking. 'But maybe that's for the best…' She thought.

And then there was the closet. What was he hiding in there? The STN-J had many secrets, she knew…but naturally there was probably an even greater number than Robin had originally imagined. But she didn't want to leave the impression that all she had time to do was snoop around in things Robin knew she shouldn't look through.

Robin remembered it then. "He said I am the type of person who isn't satisfied unless I hear the whole truth…" Did that really describe her? She didn't know. "Is it wrong to want to know the truth?" Robin asked to herself quietly as she sipped a little soup. She didn't want to get into any trouble, but on the other hand…

"I don't know what to do…" She drank down her water slowly. 'Tea wouldn't be so bad either.' Robin thought. She was about to stand up in order to make this purchase, but three people met her at the booth. They smiled at her.

"You're Robin…aren't you?" She nodded, slightly perplexed. "Do you mind if we sit here with you? Only for a little while, at least."

"Oh…um, I don't see why not…sure." She slid over in the booth and they sat down.

The only girl of the three nodded. "Do you remember us, Robin? We were with you in your first class…?"

Robin stared at them for a few moments, and then her eyes lit up. "Oh! Yes, I remember now…you're Yuma, aren't you?"

The girl nodded. "That's right—and this is Tsutomu and Kazuko." The other two boys shook her hand. Robin was a little surprised—why were her classmates interested in talking with an outsider? "We saw what you did during the training today. You're very brave."

Oh. "Thank you…but I'm not as strong as you may think. I don't think I had any other choice besides fighting back. And…" She paused for a moment. "…And my craft never hits its mark." Robin hung her head in shame.

Kazuko's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean? Your fire blocked his attack once…that's better than what I could do."

"No…I was just lucky that time. I originally aimed three feet to the right and my fire just happened to block it."

Kazuko smiled. "Then you're a pretty quick thinker."

Robin reddened a little. "Well, what about you three? I'm sure you're very good at your crafts…"

Tsutomu chuckled. "My impulse waves are too weak. They don't do anything more than tickle my target." He sighed. "I'm glad I decided to join this training program…I could really use the practice. I've always wanted to become a witch hunter…"

Yuma nodded. "Sometimes I deal out seizures to people against my will." She frowned. "If I don't learn to control it…I may be in serious trouble…with the factory." Yuma sighed.

Robin stared at her. "…Factory? What's that?"

Their eyes widened in surprise. "You want to become a witch hunter for the STN-J and you don't even know what the factory is!?"

Yuma scoffed a little. "You're not originally from this area, right? It makes sense, then, that you don't know…" Robin sighed. Yet again, she had managed to end up looking like an idiot. But at least these three understood.

Kazuko cleared his throat. "The STN-J has always had one policy when dealing with witches: hunt them, but don't kill. I'm not sure about the exact details myself, but from what I've heard, once a dangerous witch has been captured, they're taken to the factory. And…I guess they are held there for society's protection. It's the only humane way to hunt them and keep the alive witches somewhere. We never kill…it's really for the best I think."

Robin thought about this for a moment. Something didn't add up. "But…how do the hunters capture the witches? It seems to me that a witch could easily overcome them with his or her power. How do they protect themselves from the witch?"

Tsutomu shrugged. "None of the novice hunters know. I'm sure we'll find out eventually how it works, though."

But Robin frowned. 'Is the STN-J hiding something…?' After thinking this over for a few moments, she decided it would be best to not dwell on it. She could find out eventually. "Well at any rate, we won't know until we complete the training program, I guess."

Kazuko stood up. "I'm going to get some food for us…"

Yuma nodded. "Thanks. Get me the least expensive thing on the menu." She handed him some money.

"And I'll have a sandwich." Tsutomu chipped in. "Fish."

"That's fine." Kazuko said. He turned to me. "You want something, Robin? It's no trouble…"

She smiled. "Thank you, but…" Robin glanced at the nearby clock hanging on the wall. "I have a class in about fifteen minutes, so I should probably start heading back." She stood up. "It was nice talking to you. I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow." They waved goodbye and Robin walked outside.

"They seem very nice." Robin said to herself as she sat down on her vehicle. "I hope we'll talk sometime again…they had some interesting things to say. Very interesting things indeed…"

~~~***~~~

Robin drove back to the training building in about seven minutes. "Just enough time." She said. Robin walked quickly through the hallways. "Oh no, where is that room again?" She looked on her sheet. Room 118. Wasn't that by the cafeteria? Yes, it was. Robin rounded the corner.

Suddenly she collided into Amon, her craft instructor. Red filled her face. He was probably THE worst person to run into. "I…I'm SO sorry…excuse me…" She was about to leave before he could make a response to heighten her embarrassment, but Amon stopped her.

"…It's alright, Robin. Are you lost? I can help you find the room you're looking for, seeing as I have a moment…"

Robin blushed furiously. "Oh…well I guess you could do that. Thanks…" He nodded indifferently and she told him the room she needed to be in. They walked down the nearly empty hallways together. Robin glanced at Amon nervously. Why was he doing this? Didn't he have better things to do besides helping idiotic girls find their room? Suddenly Amon glanced at her to catch Robin looking at him. She darkened and turned the other way.

"We're here." Amon said to her, ignoring what had just taken place. He pushed the door open. She stepped through it nervously.

A woman teacher was standing there, giving an introductory lecture to the class. All heads wheeled to Robin. She blushed. The woman glared at Robin in annoyance for disturbing things.

"Don't worry, Karasuma…she's with me." Amon explained.

The teacher nodded in comprehension. She turned around to thank him gratefully, but Amon was already gone.

~~~***~~~

"Okay, quiet down everyone…please stop talking…" The students eventually settled down again, and all eyes turned to her. "…Thank you. Like I said, my name is Miss Karasuma, and this is the written and verbal part of the training course you are about to undergo for a whole year. Here you will learn various explanations and any answers to questions you may have about what being a witch hunter really means. But before we get started, I've compiled a small pre-test for all of you to take so I can see what knowledge you already have over it…" The students groaned and she began to pass out sheets.

"Why me?" Robin asked to herself quietly as she was handed one of the papers. She glanced over it—the test was multiple choice. "That's better than I had hoped…" She took out a pencil.

"Please begin." Karasuma said to them after all the tests were distributed. "No talking." Robin sighed and looked at the first question.

            **1. What does 'STN-J' stand for?**

**a. Solomon Tracking Network - Japan**

**b. Solomon Toukatsu (control) Ninidantai (organization) - Japan**

**c. Student Training Nexus - Japan**

Robin sighed. She figure it was either 'a' or 'b,' but beyond that…she closed her eyes and circled one.

            **2. What term is given to those who have 'witch blood' in their family?**

**a. Degree**

**b. Descendent**

**c. Seed**

Robin circled c…she hoped it was right.

            **3. How many witches do the STN-J capture weekly, on average?**

**a. One**

**b. Three**

**c. Ten**

'How on earth could anyone know the answer to _that!?' _She thought in exasperation. Robin guessed 'b.'

            **4. Which type of power do witches most commonly have?**

**a. Healing**

**b. Elemental**

**c. Telekinesis**

This time Robin _knew _the answer to this one, and circled 'c.'

            **5. Solomon is:**

**a. The company behind the STN-J**

**b. The company that funds the STN-J**

**c. The company separate from the STN-J but still handle witches that live in Japan**

Robin guessed again—she was surprised she didn't really know. She glanced at the clock. This was going to be a long hour…

            **6. Witches:**

**a. Look exactly like a normal person**

**b. Have certain characteristics that make them easy to distinguish**

c. Can hide physical characteristics of a witch to make them hard to find

Relief fell upon her and she circled 'a.'

            **7. The power of a witch:**

**a. Always surfaces immediately upon birth**

**b. Can take years to develop**

**c. Can appear whenever a witch wants**

She was fairly sure the answer wasn't 'a' or 'c' so she chose 'b.'

            **8. A person inherits their craft from:**

**a. The father**

**b. The mother**

**c. Either of the parents**

Robin knew it was the last one. She glanced at the clock again—time had barely passed. She groaned in annoyance, but continued on to the next question on the piece of paper.

            **9. Where do witches go once captured?**

**a. Solomon headquarters**

**b. STN-J headquarters**

**c. The factory**

Robin recalled the conversation she had at lunch with Kazuko, Yuma, and Tsutomu. 'The answer is 'c'…right?'

            **10. Witches have walked the earth since:**

**a. The beginning of time**

**b. The 1500s**

**c. There was a recent mutation in human genes**

She circled the last answer and placed her pencil down. Now all Robin had to do was wait for the tests to be passed in. She was glad it was only a pretest. Robin took out a spare sheet of paper and began to draw the Sign of Osyra.

~~~***~~~

"Time's up." Karasuma said. "Please pass your papers to the front. These will be graded on completion, not whether your answers are correct or wrong. This should reassure some of you, by the look on the faces I'm seeing." She smiled. Most of the students sighed in relief. "…Now that the pretest is over with, I'm going to give you some assigned seats. This is in no particular order." We stood up. A few minutes passed and soon we were all sitting in different spots.

A girl behind me sighed. "My day keeps on getting better and better…first I shoot a kid in the stomach, and now I have to take a pretest that I have no idea what it was about…"

Robin turned around. Directly behind her was an older girl, sighing. She had blonde hair with little waves at the end. Next to her bag was a fashion magazine and a small scarf. She looked up and noticed Robin looking at her. "Uh…hi?"

Robin blushed. "Oh! Um, sorry for staring…I couldn't help but overhear…did you have a bad day?"

The girl sighed in exasperation. "Did I _ever! _This morning I went to my first class, and we were given a gun each to practice on, and…I shot a guy named Sakaki on accident…thank GOD it was only loaded with rubber bullets…and now I had to take this stupid test!" The girl's head collapsed on the desk.

Robin frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that…it sounds like you had a really rough morning…"

She looked up at her curiously after a few moments. "Say, what's your name anyways? I'm Doujima."

"I'm Robin…It's nice to meet you, Doujima."

"Robin, eh? Hmm, I've never heard of you before…are you a craft user?" Robin nodded. "Ah, so this class IS integrated then, that's what I suspected…"

Robin looked at her funnily. 'Integrated?' She thought. 'Is that what it's called? Are we _that _much different from them?' She sighed. Doujima looked at her questioningly but Robin shook her head. "It's…nothing, really."

The girl shrugged. "If you say so." The two could talk no more, however, as Karasuma had begun the next lesson. Robin sighed in boredom and thought sleepily back to all the interesting things she learned that day at the STN-J so far. Especially her encounter with Amon. It bugged her and she didn't know why.

Review Responses:

VivianeAeryan: Lol, well that's good to know, I guess…

CelestialFire490: *blush* Thanks! Well then I'll keep going! ^___^

Yep: Hehe yeah lately I've been in the AU mood…

Cali1043: Yeah it would, lol…it'd be neat though. And many thanks for reading my Inu story! ^_____^

Me Want Amon: lol you're welcome =D

Musig-Mistress101: Arigato! Glad you like it!

Rose Shadow: Yeah, I love Amon, hard to write about though!

Wake-Robin: Heh heh, well I'm tempted to replace Robin with me so he'll be into me instead! ;)

Haruya: lol, yeah…it has to be a gradual thing though, right? Well anyways hope you'll be able to read this update!

Angel Of Light and Darkness: That's good to hear! ^___^ then here's a nice new chappy for you.

Little Natsu: lol yeah I reply to ALL of my reviews…anyways that was the day of the Animatrix but I've heard it's next week on Sunday…

deity of death1: Indeed! =D And then, the one after that, and after that too!

deity of death1: *blush* Why thank you, did I really do _that _good of a job? Well here's another chapter like you asked…

DarkPyroPlanet: Oooo, pickles!!! ^______^ As long as they're sweet, I'll take 'em!!

Lafine: Hehe, well then I'll just have to write it so that the only way you'll be unhooked is when you read the ending! =D

Sarah Branch: o_O 600!?!? WOW…*pets teh kawaii fez hat monkeys* ^_____^

mE: Good to hear! Hope you can read more!

TheUniverseBeyond: Yeah, I hate rip offs too…haha I'd love that as well!

Namko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Arigato! Then I will! ^_^

Trekgirl01: Hehe, yeah I think we need more AU WHR fics in here…well here's one more I guess.

You guys like it so far!? I'm sorry their relationship is moving along slowly…but don't worry, something will happen between the two! Can't make it too quick though…hehehe. Anyways, R&R! Arigato, ja ne! ^_____^


	4. The One Sided Relationship

Hi everyone!! I'm really tired so I'll make this as short as possible:

1) I don't own WHR ahhh!!!!

2) I'm REALLY sorry for not making this a quick update, but I've been having a bit of writer's block, and it's been tough. Plus I've been busy. But don't worry! I'll make a quick update next time! ^_^

Yeah, guess that's all. Here's the next chapter:

~~~***~~~

_The world is full of lies. People create falsehoods for reasons of self-gain. Sometimes, however…sometimes your entire life can be a lie. Many prefer their delusional world to the real fact. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Amon finished his final class for the day. He was about to leave when he remembered suddenly that there was always a meeting held in the coffee room after training was completed. They would discuss all the things that went on during the day…both good and bad. Amon thought about the boy named Akahito and what had happened with him. Well, it would just be one more bad thing to report, he supposed. Amon thought about how he would explain it. 'I could've handled it…if only Zaizen hadn't have restricted the use of Orbo in the room.'

And then, there was the girl named Robin. If it wasn't for her he might've actually _had_ to use the Orbo. Somehow he felt that it wouldn't be the last time she would help him before the year was completed. But why? He barely knew her…

Amon peered into the coffee room. A few people were already in there, so he sat down on one of the chairs and waited as well. Eventually the others came after a moment or two, and Kosaka stood before all of them. He had looked ten years older than he did this morning. His brow fell deeply into his face, and Kosaka frowned in a tired way.

"I hope _you _had a pleasant day, because _I _sure didn't." He said angrily. Silence fell upon the rest of them. "Everything that could've possibly gone wrong, happened. I…blame myself." He sighed. "Yet again, the first day of the year could've gone a LOT better. I hope that the rest of our time here will improve."

"To begin with…regarding Zaizen and the Orbo. I had forgotten to tell you this morning that he doesn't want us to introduce the Orbo until a few weeks go by. It seems as though it might have a negative effect on hunters who are exposed to it too early. Perhaps he's right. In any case, we follow Zaizen's orders until further notice, clear?"

They nodded solemnly.

"…Good. That also leads me to my second point for this meeting: we need to weed out the troublemakers among the students—especially the ones that have a craft. Without Orbo to protect us, we are all susceptible to their powers. This spells danger, if you follow my meaning." Kosaka paused to look at them. "So keep an eye out for anyone who is potentially dangerous. We can't be too careful, now can we?" He stopped talking in order to take a sip of coffee, signaling that someone else could throw in two cents if need be.

It was Michael who took this opportunity. "Kosaka, remind them about the new security measures…"

Kosaka scoffed immediately. "I'd hardly call _that _very significant." Regardless, he turned to the rest. "From now on, once every month, the passwords into each of your computers will be changed for a more secure database. We hope this way a hacker can have less of a chance of breaking in. That's about all to say. Questions, anyone?"

Nobody spoke.

"In that case, this meeting is over. See you tomorrow, everyone."

They stood up to leave. Amon grabbed his coat and walked quickly down the hallways. He saw Touko try to approach him but he made sure to avoid her eye and rounded another corner. He didn't know why he kept walking away from her, but Amon found himself doing it more and more each week.

~~~***~~~

Amon drove home quickly. He was tired, he was sore, and he had not eaten anything since the terrible lunch he had swallowed down. Amon quickly decided to take a detour from his home and buy something to eat instead. "Coffee…I think he sells coffee…"

He turned on the radio. He wasn't one for music, but he needed something to distract him from all of the empty thoughts he was having. "…And the man named Jacob Ellison managed to escape from the custody of the police yet _again _today." The news reporter bleated into the stereo, with a voice that Amon despised. "We're live with Marissa for the report…"

"…Thank you, Hiroshi. I'm live at the scene here downtown next to the main bridge. Traffic has been backed up for miles as the roads have been closed…so any commuters listening need to take note of this and be careful. The details of this story are slightly unclear, however…I have compiled this general account: A man named Jacob Ellison, wanted for the deaths of five people, appeared on this road suddenly. He surprised the drivers, which caused them to drive out of the way and crash into the trees. One car even caused an explosion…as the witnesses say. But that alone isn't the only reason why this road is closed. It seems as though Mr. Ellison, according to the accounts of numerous witnesses, raised his hand and crushed their empty cars in an instant. Some say that-"

Amon shut off the radio. "A witch." It was clear enough to him. "We'll probably be looking into it soon enough. Something _this _big isn't likely to be overlooked by Zaizen…" Well, that was fine. Amon hadn't hunted in a while, since the STN-J training facility opened its doors anyways. He needed something to do.

~~~***~~~

Amon parked his car outside the building and walked in. He had always been partial to the atmosphere here, and the food was, more importantly, always edible. Amon sat down on one of the stools to wait for some service.

It was never a long wait. "Hello, Amon. It's always a pleasure to see you." Amon looked up to see a man approach him from behind the counter. It was Harry, the owner of the establishment. Harry was never one for a large staff, and so he mainly ran the place by himself. "Can I get you anything? A drink? Some soup, perhaps?"

"Coffee…I'll have coffee." Amon replied. He nodded and went to retrieve the drink from the machine nearby. Amon thought for a minute, and then said to him, "Have you…heard any news about the latest case? There was an accident this afternoon by the bridge."

Harry stopped his movements and looked at Amon from behind the counter. "…Accident? No, I haven't heard of anything. What happened?"

Amon shrugged. "I heard the story on my car radio a few moments ago. Sounds like a witch."

Harry handed him the coffee. "Then I presume you'll be called out there soon by Zaizen?"

"It depends whether or not the police decide to. At this point it's not really in our hands." He drank the coffee slowly. "But…yes, I'm sure I'll be needed by the end of the day. It's part of the job, after all…"

Harry nodded. "And how was the training today, Amon? This was the first day for it, correct?"

Amon stirred the spoon around before answering. "…Yes. I wasn't looking forward to it."

He gave a small chuckle. "Then, it hasn't changed at all since last year. Did you meet any interesting students, at least?"

Amon's thoughts whirled back to Robin. Yes, she was certainly interesting…to say the least. The thought of her smile directed to him before leaving his class caused Amon to relax a little in the stool. It was a comforting sign, compared to how his day had gone. And still, he said nothing about this to Harry. "No more than last year."

Harry frowned. "…Amon, did you get anything to eat today? You don't look your best…a bad lunch, maybe?"

Amon scoffed. "…You could say that."

Before Harry could respond, the entrance door opened. Womanly high heel clicks could be heard as the person walked gradually closer. She paused, and then sat down.

"Hello, Amon." He looked to the stool next to him. It was Touko.

Harry smiled at her. Amon immediately recognized the face he put on—Harry knew things weren't going too well between them, but he smiled anyways for deceptive purposes. He knew—it was obvious enough.

"Hello, Ms. Touko. Shall I make you anything to eat or drink?"

She shook her head. "No, but thank you." Harry nodded and turned away to let them talk by themselves. After he was out of hearing distance, she turned to him. "Amon, tell me what's wrong. You haven't been yourself lately…"

Amon shrugged. "I feel fine, Touko."

Touko sighed. "Amon…I want to help you in any way I can. If there's anything I can do…please tell me."

"Nothing's wrong." He repeated. They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, looking down at the counter. The wind picked up from outside harshly. Touko looked at Amon as if she was trying to reach out to grasp his feelings and understand them, but she…wasn't able to. She could only sit there.

"I think that…our relationship…" Before Touko could finish, the ringing of Amon's cell phone interrupted her. He leaned over to search for it inside his coat. Touko sighed and looked down at the counter once more.

"Hello?" He said into the phone. Amon was expecting this call, but not _nearly _so soon…

"Amon, this is Zaizen. I'm assuming you've already heard about the suspicious accident near the bridge this afternoon. I'm sending the whole team over for this one. This is a very powerful witch we're dealing with here, so all precautions must be taken."

"Then, the police have approved our investigation, then? He's been confirmed to be a witch?"

"Yes, we have strong evidence for it. The police don't want to handle such a powerful opponent. This man has murdered several people and will only continue to do so, using his craft. We can't guarantee their safety, so the police have handed it over to us. Be there in an hour, Amon." He heard a click from the receiver and put it back inside his coat casually.

Amon glanced at Touko. She didn't say anything—only a nod that said, 'I understand…it's your job, after all.' It was a look drenched in guilt, directed straight at him. But he wouldn't be affected so easily. He stood up, replying simply, "Goodbye." Then he left, leaving the coffee on the counter…with her there.

~~~***~~~

"Hello Amon, glad you could make it." Karasuma said, walking up to him. "It's really a shame that something like this had to happen on the first day of training, but I guess we can't help that. You know what has happened here, right?"

Amon shook his head. "I only heard a small report on the radio. What went on?"

Karasuma have him a surprised look. "Zaizen didn't tell you!? Basically, this guy came down from out of nowhere and turned over a few cars using his craft…"

~~~***~~~

Robin paid the cashier and went outside. What was going on? Red police lights flashed all around. Sirens could be heard and people were scattering in all directions. "What's happening?" She asked aloud.

She had been running a few errands for the nuns, ever since the training ended. Nowadays Robin didn't have much time for herself. But she didn't mind—she was always willing to help. And besides, her grandfather was getting old. He needed her cooperation and support, which she always gave without complaints. On this particular trip, Robin needed to buy a few spices and other miscellaneous cooking items. Next, she _would_ have picked up the medicine her grandfather needed to take. Then…maybe then, she would finally be able to rest for the day.

But this was not the case, as it turned out to be. She hopped onto her motorbike and sped off to the source of all the commotion. Traffic was heavy…in the other direction. But why? Robin would soon find out—the police were waving at her to take the detour. She nodded reluctantly and turned there. However, instead of following the street, Robin went off-road through a few trees and snuck around the brigade.

She turned off the motorbike quietly and peered through the brush. Robin could make out some crumpled and overturned cars that were surrounded by the police's yellow tape. "Where am I? By the bridge?"

And then, she saw him. "Amon?" What was _he _doing here? He was sort of stooped over—probably examining something. "Amon…" Robin felt…happy? Yes, she felt happy to see him again…but why? She couldn't explain it. There was just something about him…

Before Robin could finish her thoughts, she heard some gunfire. Robin jerked her head up just in time to see an assailant fly past the inspectors and over the cars. She saw Amon and another woman shoot at him—but not with bullets. "What IS that they're firing?" Robin asked aloud. "It looks like liquid…"

Again her thoughts were cut short as the man lifted a car up with his power, threw it at them, and ran into the trees…straight at Robin. She gasped in surprise as he flew past her. To Robin's dismay the man turned around suddenly and looked at her with anger. "Hey, what do you think YOU'RE doing!? I can't have any witnesses here! Guess I'll have to kill you too!"

But Robin had other plans. "Amon…" She looked back at the inspectors. The car had missed him but his shoulder was bleeding. They were scanning around the area in search for the man. "Now it's my turn to prove myself." She said. "I _can _do this…"

"…HEY! You hear me!? I'm gonna kill you, girl!" The man raised his hand in preparation.

But Robin was a step ahead of him, however. Her eyes lit up and fire jumped from them. Unfortunately it missed her intended target and instead the tongue clutched to a nearby tree, growing larger and larger very quickly.

The man stared at her. "Are you _insane!? _All of these trees will burn down! And us with them!!" A flame caught on his jacket. He pounded it away and picked up a good-sized rock with his telekinetic abilities. He hurled it at her. Again Robin's fire missed and instead a bush was set ablaze. She dodged the rock just in time for it to go whizzing past her. The man groaned in frustration.

"This whole place will go up in flames! _Stop_ doing that!"

~~~***~~~

Amon rubbed his head. As he did so, he immediately felt a sudden jolt of pain in his left shoulder.

Karasuma glanced at him. "Amon, you okay!? You're bleeding!"

He nodded. "I'm fine. Let's hurry—he couldn't have gone very far. Let's just look around-" Amon stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed for the first time a fire coming from within some of the trees nearby.

"Is that…a fire? What's going on!?" Karasuma questioned in disbelief.

"I don't know—but that's where he must've went. Let's go." She nodded and the two hurried to the trees with their Orbo guns at hand. Sparks flew up at them, but they did their best to avoid them. They entered the area and looked around wildly.

And then…Amon saw her. It was Robin, his student at the STN-J training center…the one who questioned him about the Orbo. He immediately comprehended everything. To his horror, the flames, which she herself almost certainly had created, were leaping at her dress. "Robin!" She turned with wide eyes to face him, only to have some of the fire leap out at her. From the way Amon could see it, he had only a second to react. He sprinted towards Robin and shoved her out of the way. The flames erupted immediately after that, scorching the land where she once stood. Karasuma took out her gun and shot the suspect. "Go get the paramedics right away!" He shouted to her. She nodded and ran off quickly.

Amon looked down at the girl he was holding. She appeared to be unconscious. He lifted Robin up gently in order to carry her back. Her long dress swayed peacefully in the wind. Even in her sleep, she smiled…the innocent smile that did something to Amon…something he did not understand.

He examined her closely. A few burns, but nothing life-threatening, Amon decided. Why did Robin do what she did? Why was she _here _instead of in her safe home? Robin's hair blew against the air gently. The scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils suddenly, and for a moment or two, Amon felt at peace…at peace with the student he had only known for a day. The student he felt he had known all of his life.

Review Responses:

Haruya: ^__^ Thank you for being so understanding on the small lackage of fluffiness, lol. Most people don't seem to understand that these things take some time to develop, hehe. Otherwise it's a horrible story!

Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Arigato, I will!

Trekgirl01: Thanks! Hope you'll be able to read this chappy!

Me Want Amon: *blush* I'm sure you would write a very good fic! You should try it! ^___^'

Little Natsu: Yes I know!!! Actually I have to finish this stupid chapter right now so I can't watch it…-_- but! I don't want you guys to wait anymore, so I'll make some sacrifices. =D

Musiq-Mistress101: Well, from what I understand the correct answer is 'b', although my research may be a bit off…

VivianeAeryn: *sad* If I made them any longer it'd take a LOT more time to update! Lol

Sarah Branch: *pat* We all want to burn things sometimes, ne?

mE: Will do! Thanks for reviewing!

Rose Shadow: The answer was 'b,' from what I understand.

Wake-Robin: Yeah, I thought I should toss a few friend in there…didn't want her to be lonely or anything. Heh. Wait, what am I talking about, she has Amon!! ^____^

Lafine: Yeah lol, the glasses will definitely be coming up soon!

Kagome Of Spring Dances: That's fine! Are you going to watch the new Inuyasha episodes? Just my luck, I'll probably miss half of them…I think I'll wait until the end of May to start so I'll have more time.

…Guess that's all. Where oh where have my reviewers disappeared to!? *sad* Are you guys watching those new episodes!? *gasp* Which reminds me!! WHERE DID WHR GO!? Did those bastards take it off!? Cause if they did!…grr…*takes out bat* Uh…uh…^_^' in the meantime you can read this story and gimme feedback! R&R!! Arigato, ja ne!! ^_______^


	5. The Short Recovery

Hey everyone…today is a sad, sad week. Vira=sad. Here you'll see:

1) THEY TOOK OFF WHR!!! GAAAHH!!! *stabs the people at CN* whhhy…how am I supposed to write a WHR fic if I can't view the anime to get a feel for anything!? It's too hard!! *sad*

2) Yeah yeah, yadda yadda…I don't own WHR…blah blah blah…but I wish I could steal it from CN!!

*mad* Well anyways, here's a nice update for you guys:

~~~***~~~

_There are two types of pain a person can experience: the physical…and the emotional. When injured, a recovery always proceeds. But sometimes…sometimes a little pain stays. If disturbed, the wound grows bigger and bigger. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Amon put the key inside the lock and twisted it around for a moment. He never enjoyed securing the door to the classroom for the day—he would be opening it again soon enough. Too soon. "We need a janitor who actually does his job." He said in annoyance.

The day went by slowly. He was waiting for the time to go to the hospital. Amon would've done it during the munch period but Kosaka held an emergency meeting during that time for what had happened the previous night. He sighed—Amon needed to talk with her as soon as possible. There were many questions that needed to be answered, and he didn't even know if Robin had regained consciousness yet.

All of the events of yesterday after he found her happened in a blur. Simply put, they waited there until the ambulance arrived and took Robin away. Amon hadn't seen her since. He heard from someone that she was in a stable condition, but he would've liked to see it for himself. Her chair was empty in the classroom today, and several of the students asked him where she was. What could he say? Kosaka told Amon not to mention Robin's incident to the other students for fear that they would pull similar stunts.

"What was she thinking…" Amon asked to himself. "It's not a game. Hunting is the real thing. If you're not careful…you can die. Why do the novices _always_ not understand that?"

"Hey bro." A voice said behind him. Amon turned around to see Nagira standing just around the corner. Amon certainly wasn't expecting this. "I heard…what happened. She was a student of yours, then?"

Amon nodded.

"I see. Well, I'm going to go over to the hospital with Karasuma now. You coming or going home?"

Amon shrugged. "I suppose I'll stop by."

Nagira studied his face. "Did you even know her that well? I was under the impression that, from what I've heard, you seemed to have known her for longer than just a day. Were you two acquaintances previously to the first day?"

Amon glared at him. "No, of course not. I just recognized her as one of my students, that's all."

His brother opened his mouth, as if to say something else, but he closed it a second later and sighed. "…At any rate, we're going to stop by the hospital. If you decide to show up, see you then."

He heard his brother's footsteps echo down in the hallway. "Why did he think I knew the girl?" Amon asked himself. Was there an expression on his face that everyone else could see but him whenever he would glance at Robin? Amon seriously doubted that. He was never one to show his true emotions towards another, whether it was for hatred or friendship…or something else.

"What is it, then?" He asked, again out loud. After standing there in thought for a few moments, he put on his coat and walked outside the building.

~~~***~~~

The hospital wasn't too far away, and so Amon was there in no time. Almost sooner than he had expected. When he walked up to the front desk, the secretary there only gave him a small glance before nodding to the correct room. Amon had been here many, many times before, for a variety of reasons, and so most of the staff could recognize him by face, along with the other STN-J members.

Amon crossed the hallways, only to run into Nagira yet again. He smiled pleasantly.

"Hey, Amon. Guess you decided to come after all? I'm off to see one of my students myself…" Amon nodded indifferently. "Come on, you should come with me…" Amon shook his head. "I think it would be best-"

"-Mr. Nagira…?" A bubbly girl approached him from behind. She was carrying a handkerchief, but smiled weakly anyways despite her saddened face.

Nagira turned around to face her. His eyes narrowed. "Oh…hello, Doujima. Come to see how Sakaki's doing?" His tone had changed drastically…Nagira's voice sounded much stiffer than before. Almost in an annoyed way.

The girl nodded. "Oh, I feel so _terrible_…I didn't mean to shoot him with that practice gun…it was an accident…I didn't think that he would become _seriously _hurt or anything…I'm SO sorry, Mr. Nagira…" The handkerchief rose to her eyes.

Nagira nodded solemnly. "It was your first day. Don't worry about it too much. C'mon, let's go see him…" The girl nodded and the two of them entered a room down the hallway. Amon followed out of curiosity.

~~~***~~~

The young man in the room appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but opened his eyes when he heard their footsteps.

"Hello, Sakaki." Nagira said cheerfully. "How are you? Feeling any better since yesterday?"

He sat up and blinked. Then, turning stiffly to the side, he took the glass of water from the tableside and drank it down slowly before answering. "I'm fine. The doctor said I could leave today." His voice lowered. "…I was fine to begin with."

Nagira caught the last sentence. "No you weren't. You had a bruised stomach, which required medical attention. The doctor gave you exactly the rest you needed, Sakaki."

He said nothing to this, save a grumble under his breath. "…At any rate, I can leave today. The nurse just needs to finalize a few things with my condition, so…" Sakaki stopped suddenly and noticed for the first time that Doujima was standing there. He fell silent.

She stepped forward. "Sakaki…I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…well…" Her head lowered in shame.

"That's okay, Doujima. It wasn't your fault that you've never handled a gun before." He smiled politely. "And besides, I feel fine. You don't need to worry about me…in fact, I think I can get up now."

Doujima smiled and helped him up. Sakaki stood straight for a moment, and then began to hobble a little to the side. Doujima gave a gasp of surprise and steadied him. "…See, you're NOT okay!" She giggled a little.

Sakaki grumbled slightly. "Yeah…well…I've been sitting in bed all day…I just need to get used to walking again…that's all…"

She giggled some more. "…Whatever you say. Come on, Sakaki. I'll take you home." He nodded and the two of them walked out.

~~~***~~~

Amon ducked out of the room and wandered through the hallways. "Which room is she in again?" He peered casually inside various locations until at last he found Robin on her bed inside one of the rooms. A man in a white lab coat with a clipboard was standing there—presumably the doctor. He was saying something to her but looked up as soon as Amon entered the room. Robin looked a bit surprised to see him. She immediately reddened.

"Ah, you must be one of Robin's instructors at the STN-J facility?"

Amon nodded. "Yes…I am."

"Well then, that'll make things a lot easier." The doctor motioned for him to sit down. "Robin was knocked unconscious for a short period of time due to the overwhelming heat intensity she was experiencing in her body at the time of the fire. That's about all—she also received minor burns, but nothing too bad. Robin's condition has been stable all day after we have been closely monitoring her." He glanced at her. "In fact Robin, you are free to leave at any time you wish, provided you feel up to it." The two men looked at her.

She smiled. "Thank you…I think I will. I need to go back to my grandfather…he needs me…"

The doctor nodded. "That's fine. I'll go get the paperwork, then…" With that, he left the room.

~~~***~~~

Amon turned to glance at Robin when he heard the door shut. She had small circles under her eyes with misplaced hair. But that couldn't be helped, of course. But why was he thinking about that? 'Don't forget she needs to answer a few questions…Robin has some explaining to do.' He thought. Amon walked to the other side of the room and looked out the window for a few moments. Eventually he turned to her. "Robin-"

"-It's okay…" She interrupted. "I already know what you're going to say. And…I'm sorry." Robin bowed as much as she could while lying on the bed. "It was wrong of me to…to interfere…" 

Amon stared at her. How exactly was he supposed to respond to that? He wasn't used to apologies—most of his students never bothered giving one if asked. Well, that was all right with him—he didn't care either way and he knew the majority of them didn't really mean it. But this one was different…Amon had been prepared to give her a strict lecture on the dangers of hunting, but now…it left his mind completely.

"You could've been hurt a lot worse. I'm sure you realize this." That was all he could say after thinking for a few minutes.

Robin nodded solemnly. "Yes…I know."

After a few more moments, Amon asked to her simply, "…Why where you there?"

"Well, to be honest…I knew it had to be something big, judging by all the people running. I thought I could help…somehow. I know that sounds silly, but I figured with my power maybe I could at least ask to be of any assistance. The chaos seemed to grow more and more as I approached the bridge. I guess that was when that I realized it was probably a witch. I saw you and Ms. Karasuma hunting a man, and well…I thought my fire could help. I'm sorry." Robin hung her head low and turned red.

Amon sighed a little under his breath. The lecture he had planned had completely gone out the window. "That's fine, Robin…as long as you realize the danger you were in. You must _never _do that ever again. You are _not _a full-fledged hunter yet. I'm sure your grandfather will worry for you."

"Yes, you're right of course. I understand." The two thought in silence once more.

He glanced at her—it looked at though she wanted to say something else, but was afraid to. "If you don't speak your mind, then you may never have the chance to. Remember that, Robin. Always."

Her bright green eyes looked at him with surprise and wonder. "Oh! But I-"

"-It's okay. Tell me." He sat down on a chair next to her. "Students shouldn't be afraid of their teachers."

After staring at him for a moment, Robin finally nodded. "Well, it's just that…I remember seeing you and Ms. Karasuma hunt the man from before…and I found it peculiar that you didn't use bullets for him. Instead, I saw some green liquid coming from your gun. Amon, what was that exactly…?"

Amon raised an eyebrow. Well, so much for the secrecy. "You saw that?"

She nodded.

"I see. Well, that's what we use to capture witches, Robin. In a few weeks you'll be introduced to it during training. It protects us from their powers, and without it dangerous witches would be in the streets."

"Oh. I guess I understand now…I was wondering before what the hunters use for protection from their power. Without that substance it seems unethical to send hunters to capture witches without any kind of armor. But Amon, what IS it exactly?"

He looked at her for a few moments. Her eyes…pools of green…looking at him questioningly. They were full of innocence. Would it be best to tell her now? Would it be best to explain the Orbo and the true purpose it had? Amon decided after thinking it over for a moment that the answer was yes. "It's called Orbo. The factory makes it from the east side of town."

"Yes, but what is it made of?"

He sighed. "That's top secret—even _I _don't really know. Okay, Robin?"

The girl stared at him for a moment, then nodded finally. "I see."

Before he could say anything more, the doctor entered once again. "I'm back with the papers. I'll let your grandfather fill these out at the door, okay?" He frowned. "By the way, where _is _your grandfather, Robin? Despite our call, he has yet to stop by."

Robin reddened a little. "My grandfather is always busy. Besides…he's too old to drive. He doesn't own a car." Amon raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I understand…well then, pray tell how are you going to get home? You're in no condition to walk."

Robin's face drooped. "…Oh. I…hadn't really thought…"

"…I'll take her." Amon said suddenly. He wasn't sure why he was so ready to do something charitable, but the girl had no choice, after all.

She stared at him in surprise, and then blushed. "Bu-But that's fine, I don't-"

"-It's okay, Robin." Amon turned to the doctor. "I'll take her." He repeated.

"That's very kind of you. Then it's settled. Goodbye, Robin." The doctor said cheerfully. She nodded in a dazed manner and stood up.

"Th-Thank you." She whispered in his ear as she brushed past him to the door. Something warmed in his heart for an instant, and then immediately resumed its normal course. But it was a moment nonetheless.

"What's happening to me…?" Amon asked to himself. He couldn't explain it. Robin…there was something about her—he was sure of it. She was different from all the other students. But it was strange that he could offer no reason. Amon decided not to think about it anymore, however, and followed her into the hallways of the hospital.

~~~***~~~

This was the first time a female had ridden in his car since his last partner, Amon realized. Even with Touko…they had always met somewhere. He had never really picked her up from a place. Amon glanced at Robin while she was looking out the window. She had the uncanny appearance of a hunter already…as a partner.

'Stop it.' He thought angrily to himself. 'She's a student. Robin isn't a full hunter yet. Just take her home already.'

Waves of memories flooded to him suddenly and unexpectedly.

Kate.

Yes, that was it. Robin reminded him a little of his old hunting partner, Kate.

There were differences, of course. Kate was always a little stuck-up and overly confident with her craft. She and Amon never DID get along. But that was all right with him. Her craft became too much for her eventually, and so…Kate was gone. Now the STN-J was looking for another craft user to replace Amon's old partner…would Robin be the one some day?

'She had much to learn, if that would be the case.' He thought. Regardless, in this moment it felt just like the old times.

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Robin was looking at him expectantly from her seat.

Amon started the car.

Review Responses:

isis: Arigato, I will! ^_^

Ariana: YES! We should start some sort of petition or something lol.

Haruya: Ah, she'll get her glasses soon enough, don't you worry…=D

CelestialFire490: Whooooooaa…*runs*

Musiq-Mistress101: Yeah I'm pretty sure that's right…and dammit that took a LOT of research to find out!!

row: Yeah, I think I'm pretty much over it now for the most part, thanks for asking. ^__^

Seed-of-Flame: I KNOW!!! I'm SO upset!! *cries* It's like they do the opposite of what they _should_ be going—keeping all the crappy shows, and taking off all the good ones.

girlofthenight: Yes it's most definitely Amon/Robin. Hehe I wouldn't lie! And I hate coffee, actually I prefer tea more…

girlofthenight (again): Sweet, monkey penguins. ^___^

Seshoumarusgirl123: *blush* Well thank you, but it's simply not true…you should read the REALLY good fics on this site! =D

Rose Shadow: Yes…the evil pink bunnies…*looks at them suspiciously*

Bana: Gaaahhh when is it going to be back OONNN…what's a fanfic writer supposed to do? :(

DarkPyroPlanet: Hehehe, that's a good idea actually…I didn't do that now, but I'll be sure to integrate it somewhere in the story. ^___^ Thanks!

Speaker for Psychopaths: Lol, I'll be sure to do that!

Trekgirl01: Naw, I think cute is fine...just don't say it in front of Amon, lol.

moonlight angel: *blush* Why thank you! I'll be sure to keep updating! ^_^

darkfire19: o_O 'col?' Lol, if you say so…

mE: Will do, thanks for reviewing! ^___^

j.b Raven: Heh heh yeah I sometimes wonder that myself...and it sticks up like that! How does she do it!?

Lara1786: A good speculation! ^_^ Let's see what happens…

ShortPoet: Arigato! Then here's the next chappy for you!

Kagome Of Spring Dances: Yeah I thought it was neat, I wish it would be switched back to the weekdays, though…*sad*

WindSorceress: Okay, I reviewed for your story and I think it's very good indeed! And here's the next chapter for you!

TheUniverseBeyond: Oh that sucks! Yeah I hate it when my internet goes down…I can't check my e-mail! Well I'm glad to hear that everything seems to be well again.

Alrighty, that's that. I'm SO mad!! We need our animes back!!! *sad* Well for now I'll write fanfiction. I guess that's the only way I can cope…*sigh* anyways, R&R!!! Arigato, ja ne!! ^_____^


	6. The Dream Of Past

Hey everyone! I'm still pretty sad, but I'm gradually starting to get over the loss lol. ^___^ I'm glad so many liked my last chapter! As always, I don't own any part of WHR, and here's the next update:

~~~***~~~

_Dreams are only what our imagination conjures up during in slumber. They are…an illusion. But sometimes a dream can be a key. A key to understanding. A key to comprehension. A key…to our lives. This is the simple truth one must learn to face. _

He led her to his car and together they climbed inside. Robin peered around. The car looked to be fairly new. She certainly wasn't surprised at his choice of color—black seemed to be his favorite. 'A mysterious past…' She cited in her mind from her studies. She would have loved to find out what exactly that past was. However, that would've been extremely rude of her, and so Robin asked nothing about this.

"Where do you live?" His voice interrupted her thoughts. Amon's hair fell downward and she couldn't see his face. His emotions right now…hidden from her.

"Oh…um, do you know where the chapel is?"

"I don't-" Amon stopped himself. "…I've never been over there."

"That's fine—I'll just show you the way I guess."

He nodded. Amon pulled out of the parking lot and drove away from the hospital.

An awkward silence began. Robin was afraid this would happen from the moment Amon made his offer. 'I need to say something…' She thought desperately. But what? Robin barely _knew _the guy. And besides, he didn't look like he was one for much conversation. Millions of helpless thoughts whirled to her head again.

"…Now where?" Amon asked, once again breaking her away from that which she had been thinking.

"Huh? Oh, right…" She blushed strongly. "Turn left here. When we come to a T-shaped road, turn right and past the lake. It'll be there."

"Okay." He said monotonously. They continued down the road.

Robin thought of an idea suddenly. Of course! She had missed a day at the STN-J training building. "Amon, did I miss anything important in your class today?"

He glanced at her. "Each of the students began to practice on the different equipment given to them for each of their individual crafts. Then I explained to them the importance of leaning how to control their power in preparation for the final exam at the end of the year."

Robin looked surprised. "…Final?"

Amon nodded. "In each of your classes there will be a final at the end of your training. If you pass, then you become a full-fledged hunter. In my class, you must undergo a customized trial according to your craft. You have the whole year to prepare for it." Amon's tone had transformed into the voice of a teacher. Robin didn't like it very much.

"Oh, I see." The car fell to silence once again.

~~~***~~~

They turned down the road and past the lake. The scenery was peaceful here. The hills gently rolled over the landscape and the clouds rested quietly in the sky. Soon the car came to the chapel, and next to it, Robin's home. Amon pulled in through the driveway and looked around casually. Robin wondered what he thought of it. Was he surprised? Or was he expecting something like this? There was no way of knowing.

"Well…here we are." Robin said quietly.

"Yeah." Amon replied blandly.

"I…don't know how to thank you. Not only did you save my life and help me receive medical care, but you also drove me home."

"It was nothing."

Robin sighed. Why was he like this? Was this the _real _Amon? Or was it just a shell he hid under? Robin knew somehow there was more to him than this. 'There _must _be a reason Amon never opens up to anyone. And I…I _will _find out why. One way or another, I _will _help this man. It can be my way of repaying him for all he has done for me. At least it will be…something.' Robin's face formed into a determination like no other.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow in your class, then. Thank you very much, and goodbye."

She hesitated. It was only for a moment, but she knew Amon could see it. Robin glanced at him. His fingers were gripped tightly on the wheel and he was looking straight ahead. But Robin knew he had undoubtedly perceived her uncertainty in leaving. She blushed a little. She was sure he wanted her to leave already and be done with it. Robin imagined that he was quite annoyed with her. She was also sure that the atmosphere of the chapel was making him slightly uncomfortable.

And so, Robin smiled gratefully and left the car. She took a key from her pocket and unlocked the door to the house. When she glanced back, the driveway was empty yet again.

~~~***~~~

"Hello, grandfather! I'm home!"

"Robin? Is that you?" Juliano came out from behind a corner and smiled at her. "It _is _you. I'm happy that you're back. Did you remember to buy my medicine from the store?"

Robin smiled. Her grandfather suffered from short-term memory loss. Nobody really knew except her, his doctor, and the nuns. It wasn't Alzheimer's or anything life-threatening like that, but nobody could explain or cure his condition. However…he had the best long-term memory Robin had ever seen. Her grandfather was able to recall things that had happened half a century ago. This was very useful…except for the one thing she wanted him to recall the most: what her mother was like. Whenever Robin would ask, he would immediately change the subject to something else. Sometimes…she wondered if her grandfather was _really _as forgetful as he made it out to be. Maybe…he just _wanted _to forget. To discard the past. But that theory was shot, considering the fact that he suffered from _short_-term memory loss, not long-term. In fact, by the way he was looking at her, Robin could tell that he was totally unaware of what had happened in the last 24 hours.

"Um, no…I didn't have time to buy the medicine for you. Sorry, grandfather."

He coughed heavily for a few seconds. "…Eh, that's okay. You can bring it home tomorrow, right?"

She nodded. "Don't worry, grandfather…I promise I'll stop by after training is over."

"Yes. Now then…" Juliano clapped his hands. "What will we be making for dinner today?"

~~~***~~~

Robin turned off the faucet and slipped gracefully inside the spacious tub. The moment she dunked her head in, her golden strands twisted away from each other and spread out joyously. She sighed peacefully and surfaced. The water felt wonderful against her skin and soothed Robin tremendously.

She reached for the soap and began to undo all the knots within her tired muscles. She and her grandfather had made a wonderful dinner and ate with the nuns. Unlike Juliano, the nuns had heard what had happened to her the previous day, and were very happy to see Robin safe and sound. All through this, it had to be explained to her grandfather. Robin didn't like putting anything stressful on his old mind when it was unnecessary. 'It doesn't really matter.' She thought. 'He'll forget when he goes to sleep anyways. There's not much to worry about.'

Robin lathered up some shampoo and put it on her hair. Along with the nuns, she had made it herself with the things they grew in the garden. To most people this would seem disgusting and horribly primitive. However, she knew the exact mixture of everything needed, which she had learned during her disciplined studies. She absorbed the different plants and their uses inside of her brain, which she tried to put to use as much as possible. The nuns were most impressed with Robin's ability to learn everything SO quickly, and so they taught her even more. This was all in a span of three years, which was the length of time Robin had moved and lived here. No one had ever thought of bringing her to a _real _school, and she learned only from them.

Robin looked lazily out the window after lying down comfortably for a few moments. A raven flew by and perched on top of a branch in her view. It stared back at her with big black eyes and then flew away again.

…Black…

…Black hair…black clothes…a black car…

……Amon……

He was the most unusual man Robin had ever come in contact with. Amon…the name did something to her. 'I want to help him. I _must _help him.' His mask could fool most people, but it would NOT fool her. 'Although he appears to be uncaring toward everything, I know deep down Amon is a really nice person. He is…trapped…in the past. Something happened long ago that made him this way.'

Robin smiled softly as she thought about his charitable act of taking her home. Most people wouldn't have spent so much time on a single student, especially considering the fact that any other teacher would be _much _angrier with her for being so reckless. And then of course there was when Amon had saved her from the fire. Robin saw his eyes as she stood amongst the flames—the mask had been lifted temporarily and for a fleeting instance he showed fear…fear for her life. It was unmistakable.

"Why wasn't he angrier with me?" Robin asked herself. "I shouldn't have done what I did. It was a stupid thing to do. Don't I get any sort of punishment at all?"

She sighed, rinsed out her hair, and stepped out of the tub and into her room.

~~~***~~~

Robin sat down on her bed. She was unbelievably tired. Before going to sleep however, she took out a notebook from under the mattress and opened it up. Robin began to scribble down a few words—her reflections on what had happened in the last day or two. She wrote about the first day at the STN-J, her meeting with Yuma, Tsutomu, Kazuko, and later on, Doujima. She recalled the test she took over hunting, the fight with Akahito, her time at the hospital, and…Amon. And with that ending thought, Robin slipped the notebook back inside the mattress and went to sleep.

~~~***~~~

_She dreamed. She dreamed that she was walking through the hallways of the STN-J training building. They seemed to stretch endlessly and twist in millions of confusing ways. "W-Where am I going?" Robin asked aloud while looking around. "None of these rooms look familiar to me. What's the point?"_

_"Get to class, young lady." Robin turned around to see Ms. Karasuma approaching her,  looking at her crossly._

_"But…But I don't know where my class is!" She cried. "Amon's class! How do I get to Amon's class?"_

_Her teacher sighed in exasperation. "Didn't he tell you? Amon doesn't want you in his class anymore—he thinks you're too reckless of a student. I'd try to forget about him if I were you."_

_Robin's eyes widened in surprise. "What!? That can't be! I can't leave his class…he needs me to help him!"_

_Ms. Karasuma rolled her eyes and laughed. "You? What can YOU possibly do to help? You're just a student!"_

_Robin reddened. "W-Well…I…"_

_"…Exactly."_

_After a moment of thinking she sighed. "…Fine. Come with me, young lady…" Ms. Karasuma started down the hallway. Robin followed eagerly. "We'll go to Amon's classroom and you can see for yourself."_

_The two turned a corner, and lo and behold, the door to his class had appeared there magically. Robin turned to thank her teacher, but Ms. Karasuma was gone._

_"Where…?" She shrugged and turned back to the door. After pausing to take in a nervous breath of air, Robin extended a hand outward and pulled the handle. It swung open, and inside was…not what she was expecting. "What IS this?"_

_Instead of the desks, chairs, and training equipment, there was a sofa, door, and a set of stairs. She was in some sort of living room. As Robin walked in to investigate further, she noticed suddenly there was a boy sitting on the sofa to the side quietly._

_"Oh! I'm SO sorry for my intrusion, but-" Robin stopped and stared at him. Suddenly, she understood. 'He can't hear me.' She realized when the boy made no response. 'I must be invisible or something.'_

_Her thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell rang suddenly. A woman appeared out of nowhere and went to the door cheerfully. Just as she was about to touch the handle, she hesitated for an instant and looked at the boy._

_"Amon, have you finished your homework yet like your brother?"_

_Robin's eyes widened. "Amon? That boy is Amon!?" She squinted for several moments._

_…Yes, she could start to see the resemblance. He had the same hair and the same shape of the face. Only…only there were some notable differences as well. He wasn't wearing black. His hair was neatly cut, and his eyes—yes, there was no mistake—his eyes were gentler somehow…innocent? Perhaps. And even though he looked years younger than her now, it was plain to anyone that Amon was mature for his age._

_The young Amon sighed and pulled out a notebook, scribbling math problems down. The woman, who Robin assumed could only be his mother, smiled and turned the handle to the door. Robin walked over to her and looked over her shoulder curiously._

_"Good evening." A voice said from behind the door. Several faceless men where standing there expectantly. "You already know what we're here for. Come quietly and there won't be any trouble between us, understand?"_

_The woman nodded knowingly with no surprise at all. "My fate is not in my control." She answered with determination._

_"…What's going on, Mommy?" Little Amon asked her from the sofa. His eyes shined with fear. "Who are those people?"_

_She smiled at him. "Don't worry Amon, Mommy just needs to leave for a little bit to talk with these gentlemen, okay? Keep doing your homework."_

_One of the men stepped forward after noticing Amon. "…He's a descendent, isn't he? The boy comes with us."_

_Amon's mother gasped in terror. "N…No! You wouldn't! You…can't!" She blocked the doorway. "I'll come, I'll come! Just please, leave him alone!"_

_Amon stood up. "What's going on!? Where are they taking you!?"_

_His mother turned to him and forced one last smile. "Don't worry about me, sweetie. Now go up to your room and do your math problems there, okay? Just leave this to me…" She stepped outside._

_The men bowed their heads and whispered to one another. "…Fine." One of them said after a moment. "The boy may continue to live in the outside world. But you need to come with us, ma'am…"_

_"Mommy!?"_

_She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'll go now…" She turned to Amon and waved. "Goodbye, Amon. Be a good boy, okay?" And with that, his mother closed the door. She was gone._

_"NO!!" He shouted. Amon ran to the door and watched as she sat down in a car and allowed the men to drive her away. His fingers scraped the doorway desperately for a few seconds, and then they slid down. Amon choked a wordless scream._

_Robin didn't know what to do. She reached out to try and comfort him, but he didn't feel her touch. "I want to help!" She said sadly. Robin looked over the room. "What can I do…?" _

_She straightened up. "Enough. I want to leave." Her eyes lit up, and the sofa was set ablaze. "…There. Try to forget…" The world faded into darkness, and Amon with it._

~~~***~~~

Robin sat up in her bed to the noise of her alarm clock ringing.

"A dream…it was just a dream…Amon's past…is that what really happened? His mother was taken away? Was she a…witch? Does that mean that…he's…?" Robin frowned in thought. What did it mean?

She decided not to dwell on it any longer, and rolled out of bed to start the day.

Review Responses:

ryan rowin: Nope! They have no special powers; they're pretty much ordinary humans.

Wake-Robin: *sad* yeah so am I…well thanks for the review!

Lara1786: Lol yeah poor Amon! Well don't worry, he'll set his feelings straight soon enough.

ran:Witch hunter:class-b: *shrug* That's fine, but in this particular fic he has no powers.

WindSorceress: Yeah I hate rushed fics too. They leave a lot out that could've made it really nice. Anyways, thanks for the review! ^_^

Trekgirl01: Hehehe, well you know what I'd REALLY like is if Amon could not control himself in front of me! =D

Bana: Lol, well keep trying! It'll come to you eventually! ^___^

Haruya: Heh, I don't know about this particular chapter but it'll come soon enough, plenty of it! I promise!

Youkai Yume: Gaah, noo! It's crap! Crap I tell you! __ lol well I've been reading _your _WHR fic and I must say it's going quiet slow lol. But I understand because you're probably very busy and stuff, so yeah…

mE: ^_^ Thanks! Hope to see you again!

aishiteru_91421: *blush* Thanks, but there are quite a few good WHR fics on here! You should check them out! ^__^

aishiteru_91421 (again): lol yeah, that's the way most people like it…

aishiteru_91421 (again): Glad to hear it! Keep reading then! ^_^

aishiteru_91421 (again): Heh heh, yeah that's quite cute IMO…

Cat: Yeah I honestly can't believe they did that…well I'm sure they'll put it back on eventually though, ne?

Gundamwinggirl: Well you know, there are episode summaries on the web, I'm sure you could find out what happened so you won't be in complete despair! (I know I would lol) ^___^

darkfire19: Lol, no I don't believe so, but thanks!

BikouWitch: Same thing I said above, there are summaries and such that you can read to find out. Quite useful!

aishiteru_91421 (again): Yeah, everyone seems to be sad over that…well thanks for the encouragement! =D

Kagome Of Spring Dances: Hehe yep! I luff Amon. Keep reading!

Aki Tari NAI: lol yep! Amon's so much better when he's soft heh. Robin will melt his heart yet! ^_^

row: Thanks for viewing the fanart in my site! ^__^ Yeah I agree they're quite good.

Rose Shadow: Hehe, pillow fluffiness…=D

Little Natsu: Yeah I guess I can forgive them with the new episodes. *pout*

Speaker for Psychopaths: ^_^ Arigato! Hope you keep reading!

Musiq-Mistress101: lol, yes she has a grandfather and yes those will meet up soon…I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Stephanie Leug: *confused* Um, there's nothing going on between those two, they're only friends and sort of partners in hunting. Sorry if I left that impression, I didn't mean to! ^__^' And I'll try to read that story when I have the spare time…

Thanks for the reviews everyone! Made my day! ^__^ Meanwhile, here's a nice update for you, ne? I'm starting to be able to forgive CN, but ONLY because of the new Inuyasha episodes and I'm in love with the new anime called Wolf's Rain. Tell me if you like it too! I hope I'm not the only one lol! Still though, it'd be nice to have it more than just once a week…*sigh* anyways, R&R! Arigato, ja ne! ^______^


	7. The Surprising Discovery

Okay, I went back to finish this update, review responses can now be seen. Anyways, I don't own WHR like always! It'd be really cool if I did though. Anyways, here's the next chappy!:

_Often times, we are ungrateful. We are ungrateful to our parents. We are ungrateful to our community. But most importantly…too often we forget to thank the one we are the closest with: the person we need the most. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Robin slipped into her dress and walked down the stairs. She took out a small skillet from the cupboard and started the stove. She grabbed some eggs from the refrigerator and cracked them open.

"Good morning, Robin." Her grandfather appeared in the doorway and sat down to start reading the paper. "Mass is at seven. Will you be attending today? The sermon is quite excellent."

She smiled. Robin didn't have time because of her training schedule, but _he _didn't know that. "No, I think I'll just stop by to pray a little rather than attend a whole sermon."

Juliano shrugged. "Suit yourself." He folded the paper open and immediately closed himself off to it. Robin set the finished eggs down onto his plate, spent a moment eating hers, and then hurried outside. Robin rubbed her eyes tiredly as the sun looked down upon her. "I better hurry…a quick prayer and then I'll leave." She rushed down the sidewalk and to the chapel nearby. Robin had always appreciated the quiet atmosphere of this place—it was silent for the most part, save an occasional nun coming and going or the organist completing her daily practice. Best of all, the sun's rays filled the stain glass window to light wonderful colors across the room. She smiled and walked over to one of the benches.

When she was done, Robin noticed a person had walked up to her curiously. She had never seen him before, but he had the STN-J staff badge pinned onto his shirt at an angle. He adjusted his glasses quickly.

"Are you…Robin Sena?"

She nodded. Why was a person from the STN-J here? Had she done something wrong already?

"Great. My name is Michael Lee, and I'm from the STN-J training building." He pointed to the badge on his shirt in a quick motion. She nodded. "Well, to make a long story short, I was asked to bring you your motorbike that you left near the road the other day. Your address was given to me, and so here I am."

Robin gasped with happiness. "Oh! I had forgotten all about that! Yes, I left it there along the road before I found the criminal. You really brought it here with you? Where?"

Michael started towards the back of the chapel. It's over here—I'll show you…" She nodded and hurried along with him outside.

After a few moments, Robin asked, "So…what do you do at the STN-J anyways? I've never really seen you before."

He shrugged. "Well, it's my job to protect the computer tracking system and the database to make sure everything is safe. We get hackers all the time trying to find out what we know about a certain witch. Thanks to me, however, there usually isn't a problem…"

"Oh, I see. So you work with computers? That's probably why I haven't seen you yet."

Michael sighed. "…Nobody pays much attention to the guys who work behind the scenes. Ah, here we are…"

He pointed to the motorbike parked by the sidewalk. "There it is, still in working condition and everything."

Robin nodded. "I'm very glad for that. Tell me, how did you know that it was mine?"

Michael shrugged. "Well it was near the scene of the crime, and with you there we just sort of put the pieces of the puzzle together. But to make extra sure, we took your fingerprints from the handlebars. They matched perfectly." He looked at her. "Out of curiosity Robin, what happened with you back there anyways? I was never given the whole story behind it…"

Oh. "Um, there's not much to say really…I saw the police go back and forth for awhile without knowing what was going on. Eventually I decided to sneak into the nearby forest to try to see what was happening. Then my thoughts were confirmed—it was a witch. We fought for a short time until the fire that I had started began to grow larger. I didn't know what to do. Then I saw Amon looking at me, and…I don't really remember anything after that. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital."

He sighed. "From what I understand, you could've very well died. But you don't _look _that reckless…very interesting indeed, wouldn't you say?"

"You're right, I don't normally do stuff like that. I guess…I just wanted to prove that I'm capable of fighting by myself…the other day in class I got into a fight with a boy, you see. For some reason my fire missed him every single time, and I thought maybe this would make amends."

Michael gave her a stern look. "If you show off your craft, you could get into some serious trouble. In fact, you almost did." He glanced at his watch. "Well, I need to drive back to the STN-J training building now, Robin. I trust you'll be about to get there via your motorbike now?" She nodded. "…Good. See you around, I guess."

Robin nodded again and he left to drive away in his car. As soon as Michael was gone, she ran back to the house in order to obtain her helmet. Juliano did not even take any notice of her as Robin rushed up the stairs and back down again after searching around in her room. "Bye, Grandfather!" He grunted something to her and flipped to the next page of the paper.

Robin parked in the closest space possible, and then ran inside. As she rounded a corner, she nearly collided with a man in a gray suit that she had never seen before. A coffee mug that he had been holding let go of its contents and the liquid spilled onto the floor.

She turned a heavy crimson. "Oh! E-Excuse me-"

"-It's okay, just continue on to class." Robin looked down at his nametag. It was Zaizen Takuma. Zaizen glanced at her for a second time, as if it were an afterthought. "Hmm, young lady, aren't you the infamous Robin Sena I've been hearing so much about these last few days?"

She gulped. Infamous? Had she really become infamous around here? That was the very last thing she wanted to happen. "Um…that's my name, yes…"

"The girl who was hospitalized, eh? Hmm. Yes, it seems as though you have quite a remarkable story on your shoulders. Well hurry along then, Robin." Zaizen turned to walk away without saying another word. She sighed and continued down the hallway.

Class began the moment she sat down, fortunately. Robin noticed that there had been no taking of the attendance. In fact, nothing seemed to be as organized about it as the first day. The students immediately left their chairs and went over to their specialized training equipment. Robin shrugged and followed them over to the practice area.

"Robin!!"

She turned around to see the friends she had met in the restaurant—Yuma, Kazuko, and Tsutomu. They smiled at her.

"Where have you _been_!?" Yuma cried.

"Um…I was only gone for a day!" Robin said with surprise.

Kazuko nodded. "That's true, but when we asked Mr. Amon if maybe you had called in for a reason that you were gone, he just said 'not to worry about it.' So of course, we did!"

"…Oh. Well, I was…" Robin thought for a second. Would it really be best to tell them that she was hospitalized for a day, after a confrontation with a witch? She decided not. "I was just sick, that's all." She smiled weakly.

The three of them looked at her suspiciously for moment. "It's odd, then, that Mr. Amon wouldn't tell us that…"

Robin shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that IS weird…" As they continued to chat, Robin glanced over at Amon. He was sitting in his chair and appeared to be checking his e-mail. This brought a flood of memories to her suddenly as she remembered about the dream she had about him the previous night.

'Could it really have been him?' Robin thought. She held the distinct image of the boy in her mind. And now, looking at Amon here, it was practically beyond all question—the child Robin saw in her dream really _was _him. But how did she know? 'How could I have know about that? Did the thing with his mom _really _happen?' She sighed—so many questions and so little answers. 'Perhaps I should just ask him about it…' Robin thought. She tossed the idea around in her mind for a little bit, and then decided it would be far too nosy of her to do such a thing.

Her trainer interrupted her thoughts suddenly. "Before you take out your training equipment, I would like each of you to pair up with someone and try to deflect the other's attack for a total of five times. Go." Amon waved his hand at them impassively.

"C'mon, Robin…" Before she could say anything, Yume pulled her to the side. Kazuko and Tsutomu faced each other nearby to them.

Robin blushed a little. "Oh…um, but Yume…I'm not very…good…I don't think I'd do a very great job deflecting any of your attacks at me…"

"Nonsense! I'm sure you'll do just fine. Much better than me, anyways. Well, here I go!"

Yume's eyes grew pure white for an instant, and then energy shot out from here. 'Her craft is the ability to cause seizures…' Robin remembered. 'Can I really block such a thing?' She calmed her mind to prepare to unleash her fire. Soon after it left her body.

It happened almost too quickly. The flame flickered past Yume's hair and disappeared. Fortunately, Robin managed to duck just in time as the attack flew past her, which also vaporized into thin air.

Yume rushed to her. "A-Are you okay, Robin!?" She helped her up and rest her against a nearby chair.

"I'm fine…" Robin gasped.

"You…sure?"

"Yes, it's okay…really!" She stood up again and faced Yume. "Come on then, let's try that again…"

Yume gave her a puzzled look. "Um…I don't know…"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine…"

Yume shrugged and finally gave in. "…Okay. Give me a moment…" Her eyes turned white again. Robin braced herself for the worst. "Ready?" She nodded slowly. "Okay, then here I go!" The white shot out of her eyes and straight at Robin.

As hopeful as Robin was, her fire missed the target yet again. "Oh no!" She cried. This time she would have no time to act. Yume's attack was going to hit her!

Suddenly, a hand flew out of nowhere and seemingly hit the attack away. Robin stared at it long enough to see that underneath the fingers was a vial of Orbo that no one could see but her.

"I think that's enough for today, Robin." She turned around to see Amon straighten up and thrust his hand back into his pocket to hide the Orbo from the others. "Just rest for now until this period is over, alright?"

Robin nodded slowly, with some shock. "Yes…I will…" Her friends stared at her as Robin walked back to her seat. "Th-thank you, Amon." She said to him timidly when he returned to his desk to check his e-mail once more. Amon nodded indifferently and continued typing.

She sighed pleasantly. That was twice now Amon had saved her! It was almost unbelievable. "I _must _thank him more later…that's the least he deserves, I think." Yes, it was decided. Robin would thank him more in-depth, during her lunch hour perhaps.

She glanced at all the other students practicing, and jealousy immediately fell upon her. Everyone appeared to be doing SO well blocking attacks…so why couldn't she? Whenever Robin would use her fire craft, she would miss the target every single time, even if she was staring directly at the object she wished to hit. But why?

Robin decided not to think about it anymore, and sat there reading quietly until it was time to move to the next class of the day.

When it was time for the lunch hour to begin, Robin waited around in the hallways to look for Amon. Eventually she saw him walk out the door of the building and to the outside. "Perhaps he's going out to lunch…" She followed him.

Amon walked down the parking lot and was about to enter his car, when his cell phone ran suddenly. He dug into his pocket for a few seconds before pulling it out and answering it.

"Hello?"

From the distance Robin was at, all she could hear was some mumbles—nothing that she could properly interpret. After a few minutes, Amon hung up. Instead of going into his car and driving off, he leaned against his car casually and stood here.

"He's waiting for someone." Robin realized. She wondered for who. "Well, at any rate, this is as good of a time as any to thank him…" She began to walk his way and started to wave in hopes of grabbing his attention.

She didn't get the chance, however. Before Robin could arrive to him, a woman, who she had never seen before, had already walked up to him happily. Robin ducked behind a car curiously.

The woman smiled. "Thanks for waiting for me, Amon. I'm glad I could catch you on your phone."

Amon made a response that Robin couldn't quite hear.

"Well, really to go then?" The woman gestured to his car.

He nodded, and together they went inside it. After they drove away, Robin stood up from behind the car, dumbstruck. When she had thought about what had just happened for several moments, the obvious answer occurred to her suddenly.

"A girlfriend…that was Amon's girlfriend."

Robin couldn't figure out why something inside of her hurt so much suddenly, but it was really painful. The realization was overwhelming. Why did it hurt so?

"Don't be stupid." She scolded herself. "He deserves to have a happy life…you can't keep him all to yourself." Robin gasped. Why did she just day that!? She didn't think of her teacher in 'that' way…right!? "No, of course not. That's silly—and besides, Amon would _never _go for someone like me…" Robin scolded herself again quickly and walked away to have lunch. The idea was absolutely preposterous. But then again, why did she imagine it just now? Was her mind secretly trying to tell her something?

"No." She said firmly. "No." She would never think of it again, Robin decided. Instead, she walked back up the sidewalk and into the STN-J building to have lunch there. Robin had heard of the interesting cafeteria food, but she had never tried it herself. Well, now was as good of a time as any other.

Review Responses:

Kagome Of Spring Dances: Yeah, it's a really neat anime, I think. Watch it!! You won't regret!

Amon's One and Only: Hehe yeah he IS hot, though you're right about the whole pants thing lol.

Seed-of-Flame: Ah, that's okay. Well, glad to hear you like it so much!

Seed-of-Flame: (again) Yeah I wrote a whole story on dreams (my very first one, heh). It wasn't too good though…

Lara1786: Yeah, you really _should _see the rest of them! They're quite good! Well don't worry too much—there are episode summaries that you can read.

Wake-Robin: sniffle Yeah…well thanks for the review! Hope to see you again!

row: Wolf's Rain is cool. Actually I wouldn't mind doing a fanfic on it…

MusiqMistress: pat That's okay! Just call me obsessed, lol!

theUniverseBeyond: Haha, I thought that was who voiced him, but I wasn't really sure until now. Thanks for the confirmation! =D

Trekgirl01: Yeah, but you know he doesn't really like it when people ask him too many things…:/ oh well!

Cali1043: Thanks! Glad you like it!

Bana: Hooray! Yeah I hate writer's block…it's cool that you overcame it.

Stacerue: Nah, she doesn't have psychic abilities…she's just cool like that. =D And I had no IDEA that Amon was Tsume's voice, how cool!!

TheUniverseBeyond: (again) Rainbow colors!? hides 

Stephanie Leung: Um, they would probably take a liking for each other a LOT quicker I guess? Hehe.

Haruya: Yes, fluff will come soon!! I promise!!!

ValeriaNefertari: Sorry!! Don't worry, everything will happen soon!!

Gundamwinggirl: blush I assure you there are a lot more WHR fics that are better than this one! Really!!

darkfire19: Yeah that's very true. Thanks for reviewing!!

WindSorceress: Thanks! Yeah, that was the idea of the story, lol.

NotWorthMyTime: Arigato! Hope you'll read more!

Chii-san: Glad to hear it! And yes, I'll certainly keep updating!

Osuwarii: Sure! hands over some termites There ya go! And yes, I wish they would put it on the weekdays too…

Lea G: Don't worry, it'll definitely be a AxR pairing!! Promise!!

Guess that's all for now. Thanks for the reviews! And I know some of you are getting impatient because there has been no fluffiness yet (or not a lot of it anyways) but it WILL come soon! Anyways, be ready for my next update! R&R! Arigato, ja ne!!


	8. The Fight Before Class

Vira's back again, and with another update. First though, some A/Ns:

1) I am SO sorry that this wasn't updated earlier…I guess my only excuse is that this is a busy time of the year for all of us, ne? Also, I tried to update, but this stupid computer kept dying on me. sad At any rate, yes I am here and alive.

2) No, I don't own any part of WHR!

…Guess that's all for now really. Thanks for being so patient with me! And now, here it is:

_Throughout one's life, it is impossible to avoid conflict. Greed, jealousy, betrayal…all are ingredients for this. Sometimes however…a person may fight for no reason at all. Deep inside, some enjoy it. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Amon opened and closed the door to his apartment. It had been a long day in the STN-J training building. Several weeks had passed since the first few days of the lessons. It was now mid-October. He kicked off his shoes and hung his coat up, which was very wet. Lately there had been severe amounts of water falling from the sky. It had always varied, however—one day it was rain, the next it would be snow, and then it would combine to make a sleet. Although Amon hated this type of weather, he despised warm and sunny weather even more so. Amon sat down on a nearby chair and began to read the newspaper for anything that might possibly involve witches.

The potential hunter in all of his classes had greatly improved for the most part since he had first met them. There were one or two incidents…but that was to be expected. Still, all in all, the vast majority of them had seen much improvement. Zaizen was pleased at this, Amon could tell. He wanted a nice, new batch of hunters to track down witches. Well, that was fine with him.

After Amon could find nothing in the paper, he went to a different room and turned on his computer. Usually around this time of the day there would be plenty in his inbox. When everything was done loading and he opened it up, there was one message in particular that seemed to stand out from all the others. It was from Touko. It simply read, "We need to talk. Please call me when you read this."

Amon sighed in annoyance and wheeled his chair over to the phone nearby. Looking back, he wondered why he ever agreed to his relationship with Touko. Not only was she overly worrisome, but she was always boring to be with as well. Not his type at all. Amon sensed that, somehow, this time might be their last. He picked up the phone and dialed her number.

After a few rings, he heard a click. "Hello?"

"This is Amon. I read your e-mail just now."

There was a long pause. Finally, she sighed softly. "Yes, I…I need to tell you something. But not here…not on the phone…please meet me in the park in about an hour so we may talk."

Amon's voice shifted to a tone of annoyance. "I don't-"

"-You don't have time, I know…I know. But it's just around the corner from where you live and it won't take long. I promise it won't take long. However…if you don't show up, then…I think I'll understand. Bye, Amon." There was a click.

"Women." Amon growled with bitterness as he set the phone back down. "If you allow them to become too close to yourself then you risk losing everything…" He peered out the window. The clouds had cleared and the rain had finally let up. Already things were beginning to dry. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all. Nevertheless, Amon wasn't looking forward to it. He stood up and closed his inbox. After putting his shoes on and grabbing his coat, Amon walked out of the apartment. The ravens in the sky looked at him curiously, as if they were wondering what he was doing outside on such a day.

After walking down the path for a few moments, Amon saw Touko there, sitting on a bench. He sat down next to her and together they stared at the ground. "So…" Amon began with a hint of impatience. "Why am I here?"

Touko avoided his eye. "…I think…I think you know, Amon. We've both been feeling it for a long time now. Although neither of us has admitted it yet, it's plain to anyone where our relationship currently stands." She paused to take a long, strong breath. "I've often wondered about you, you know. You're not quite always there. You…you're somewhere else…it seems…many times…"

Amon said nothing. He looked up into the sky. Dark.

"You've never kissed me…" Touko continued. "You've never given me any sort of hug…we held hands…once…on accident, if I remember right…and we never really went anywhere together, you know? I feel like you try to avoid human contact as much as possible. That includes me, Amon. But you weren't always like this, right? I wish I could know what happened to you to make you this way…but every time I try to ask, you shut yourself away from me. I feel frustrated over this, and so…well…" She paused. It was obviously a break to give him one last chance to say something, to insist that her instincts were wrong. Her voice trailed off, but Amon said nothing.

Touko sighed. "So I guess since our relationship will obviously _never _go anywhere, I would like to end it now rather than later. I wish that this wasn't the only option but I see no other choice. Goodbye, Amon." Touko stood up, and then looked back at him for an afterthought. "I suppose I'll still see you at the STN-J building. I hope you find who you're looking for." She turned her head away from him and left Amon sitting there on the bench.

Amon did not get up immediately like he had planned. He stared straight ahead of him for several minutes. He was no longer sitting on the park bench in the present day. Amon was far from here…fifteen years ago…back at the place he used to call home. After looking back…what, he asked himself, had he really done with his life? Was he really going to rot away in bitterness forever, like Touko feared? Amon had not really listened to Touko's final parting words, but it didn't matter. Memories of his life whipped by him like an angry river, and suddenly he was in a sea of nostalgia.

"You can't change the past." He finally said aloud after several moments. "No matter how hard you might want it, you can never change the past…"

"…But you CAN accept your future." Amon whirled around to see his student Robin facing him. She tilted her head to the side as if to ask if she could sit down. He nodded solemnly and slid a little to the right.

"…Why are you here? And what did you mean just now?"

Robin smiled the same soothing smile of hers. "This is where I walk sometimes. I've never seen _you _over here, though. I find the general setting of this place to be…very peaceful."

Alarms sounded in Amon's head. This girl showed up wherever he went, it seemed. Was it really such a coincidence? Perhaps it was only fate…but Amon didn't believe in fate. Fate was just an excuse. It was a loophole; a scapegoat for people to use in order for the denial of the truth. Or at least, that was what he had come to believe.

"And I meant," she continued, "that one needs to let go of the past if one is to ever live in the present. Otherwise, I imagine someone could be quite unhappy that way, wouldn't you agree?"

Amon looked up at her. "'Someone?' You mean me?"

Robin shrugged. "Memories are just memories, and nothing else."

He turned away from her suddenly with a hint of coldness. "…I don't know why I ask. What would _you _know about it, after all…"

She sighed. "I'm sure that your mother would not be able to bear seeing you like this…"

Amon faced her in surprise once more. "How…_how _did you…!?" He moved closer to Robin as if to grab the coat surrounding her shoulders to obtain the answer. She stared back at Amon with those two brilliant green-colored eyes. In that instant, Amon wanted to hold her forever, and he couldn't explain why. This girl somehow knew the one thing that had been tormenting him ever since that fateful day fifteen years ago.

Robin opened her mouth to say something, but before she was given the chance, a clap of thunder could be heard suddenly. Rain quickly began to pour.

She stood up. "I-I'm sorry, but I have to leave now. See you during training tomorrow, Amon…"

Robin turned to leave, but Amon caught her arm. "Wait." She looked back at him nervously. Amon breathed in slowly for a moment. "Come with me. I don't live to far from here, and the rain might not let up." This voice…the tone wasn't his.

She seemed to notice this as well, but said nothing about it. "Amon, I…I don't know…" Robin looked back.

"It's alright." He replied. "I won't force you to come—it's your own choice." Amon turned to leave and fully expected her not to follow. However, he heard quick footsteps catch up to him, and soon Robin was walking by his side to the apartment.

He flipped the switch to the machine after setting the pot down. When a few moments passed, steam began to leave the container. Amon watched it carefully and then poured the liquid into two separate mugs. Robin thanked him warmly and began to drink a little of the coffee down. Suddenly she gasped, and looked down. Amon peered over the table to see what could've been the problem.

"You…have a cat!" Robin exclaimed with happiness. He nodded. Not many people knew the fact that he owned a cat. With a name of Osuin, he wandered the apartment for most of the day—but at night Amon would leave a window open in order for Osuin to freely roam his territory, where he would actually catch his own food. Obviously, he was a black cat. Robin gave him a little pet, and Osuin meowed in delight.

Amon stared at the spectacle with amazement. "…He doesn't normally like humans, you know. You handle him well, it seems."

Robin shrugged. "Before I came to live in Japan I had worked in an animal shelter. Ever since then, pets seem to like me."

He nodded. "I see. Tell me, where did you live before coming here?"

Robin sighed and stared for a moment into her coffee. "Oh…everywhere, really." She smiled. "But I'm glad to be here now."

A silence ensued. Amon looked at Robin out of the corner of his eye. Her clothes and hair were slightly damp from the rain, but he didn't mind that at all. For the first time ever his eyes trailed down to the necklace around her neck. It left a strong impression onto him of being something very peculiar. Without any warning of any kind to her, Amon reached out and held it closer for inspection. Robin's eyes widened a little and she shrunk back.

"Don't worry." He whispered. Amon's fingers traced the outline of the middle stone. She blushed heavily, but he paid no attention to this. After studying it closely for a few moments, it dawned on him suddenly.

"This necklace…" He muttered. "My mother…she wore one just like this, long ago…" Yes, there was no mistake about it. Amon distinctly remembered it. But what did it mean, if anything?

Robin moved her head to the side curiously. "What? Are you…sure?"

Amon nodded. "Yes, I'm sure that this is the same necklace. It's one of a kind."

"That's very interesting. My mother gave this to me and said to hold onto it right before she died. I never knew what she meant by that." As Amon stroked the string of the necklace up her neck tenderly with nostalgia, Robin grasped his hand suddenly. He froze. Had he reached too far…too long? Amon withdrew the hand from her.

But Robin continued to study it. "…Why do you always wear these gloves?" She asked softly, in an innocent sort of way. She traced her finger up all the seams with a feeling that Amon did not quite understand.

"…I like them." He replied simply. Amon was surprised at his voice—the sudden peacefulness of it was not really his.

She smiled and stood up. "Well, thank you for the coffee, Amon. I should be leaving now." He nodded and followed her to the door. "…And if you find yourself without your gloves one day, ask me to read your fortune, okay? Bye…" Robin chuckled and left his apartment. Amon stood there and thought about her offer for a little while, and then sat back down in order to finish his coffee.

The next day, Robin felt very frustrated with herself. The event that happened at the park and then at his apartment grieved her to a nearly unbearable level. She kept repeating to herself over and over again that Amon had a girlfriend, and anything else between Robin and Amon just wouldn't be right.

"Plus he's a TEACHER."

When she hopped off her motorbike, Robin walked calmly down the sidewalk and to her first class. With Amon in it, things would be sort of awkward, she knew. But that couldn't be helped.

"Look who it is…Robin Sena…" Robin turned around and, to her unhappiness, saw Akahito standing there along with Sudaharu and Aiko from her first class. "…Going somewhere?" He smirked. "We have a fight to finish, right?" The others chuckled behind him.

Robin prayed quickly in her mind. "I don't want to have any conflict with you. Please leave me alone." She began to walk away.

Akahito pretended to be upset. "What? Leaving so soon? I don't think so." He moved to block her path. "…Because of YOU I was kicked out of the STN-J.  You're not getting off so easily for that." He balled his fists in anger. "Stay awhile…"

"I'd rather not." She replied flatly. A flame flickered in her eye. "I need to go to class now."

Without warning something knocked Robin to the ground suddenly. She looked around to see Sudaharu create another attack directed at her. Robin rolled out of the way and leapt up to avoid it.

"What's the matter, Robin?" Aiko taunted evilly. "Afraid to get hurt? Or is it because you are still just as weak as you were when you last fought Akahito? Try this!" A wave of air sliced over to her and cut deeply against the bottom of her dress.

"You bastards!" Robin shouted angrily at them. This was the final straw. "Leave me…ALONE!!" Fire burst from her eyes. The three dodged out of the way, and yet again her intended target was missed.

"…Ha! Is that the best you got!? You _have_ to be kidding me!" Akahito shot a current of electricity at her. Unlike most of the other times, Robin had finally managed to block this attack. She smiled triumphantly, although all four of them knew it was just a lucky hit.

"Don't start celebrating yet! I'm not through with you!" Akahito prepared more electricity.

"STOP!!" A voice shouted behind them. They turned around to see Ms. Karasuma kneeling down with a gun pointed straight at Akahito. He didn't have enough time to react as the Orbo bullet fell into his chest. The others quickly met the same fate.

After a few moments Ms. Karasuma rushed over to make sure they were fully knocked unconscious. "Hey, you okay Robin?" She asked her. Robin nodded back in a dazed manner. "…Good." Ms. Karasuma opened up her cell phone and had a brief conversation with someone on the other end to take them away from the STN-J. After that was over she looked over at Robin and smiled.

"Let's get you to class."

When Robin entered Amon's classroom, she saw that already the students were practicing on their training equipment. Ms. Karasuma went over to Amon at his desk and told something to him. After awhile, both adults looked over at her, which caused Robin to blush. Finally, Ms. Karasuma left the classroom.

"Robin." Amon called to her. "Come here."

Robin gulped nervously and walked over to his desk. "Y-Yes?"

"There's no need to look so concerned. Ms. Karasuma told me what happened to you just know, and my mind is made up. During the past few weeks I have been observing your accuracy and it's safe to say that it is not nearly as high as it could be. However, I don't think this is directly your fault. So, tomorrow I will be taking you over to see the local eye doctor after training. Meet me in the parking lot. That's all." Amon wheeled his chair back to the computer without saying another word. Robin was so surprised to hear this from him that she simply went over to her training equipment without uttering a sentence to anyone.

Review Responses:

Wake-Robin: Hey thanks! I guess this was sort of a long wait…sigh

Lara1786: Hehe well actually I kind of just skipped over the cafeteria part…' oh well.

Trekgirl01: Yeah, can you just imagine him as a teacher? Hehehe!

isis: Will do! Thanks for reviewing!

Cali1043: Glad you think so! Hope you can keep reading! =D

Seed-of-Flame: blush Arigato! I've been busy though…well, here's a nice update for you at any rate.

Rose Shadow: Hahaha! Actually, the cafeteria food at my school isn't that bad…I guess it just varies from place to place, ne?

Stephanie Leung: I love cats too! And so does Amon, apparently! =D

girlofthenight: Mailbox ninja!?!? gasp I want one of those!!!

Kagome Of Summer Dances: sad I actually missed that Inuyasha episode, saw the Wolf's Rain though…anyways, thanks for the review!

Chii-san: Aw! Thanks much! =D

Gundamwinggirl: Hehe, you're in luck! Some of the fluffiness is happening in this chappy!

row: Yeah, you know, I don't really know enough about it to do a fic…I mean, it looks like it has great potential for some fic material, but I guess we'll just have to see, ne?

Speaker for Psychopaths: Eh, that's okay. Well thanks for the review! I hope you keep reading!

theUniverseBeyond: Hahaha! Yeah, I think that's a cool idea! I should try it, I'd read it! And yes you're right, the glasses will be in the next chapter…hehehehe…

Sesshoumarusgirl123: Thanks! Glad to hear it!

Again, I am SO sorry I'm lagging behind with the updates! Hopefully you guys are nice enough to understand maybe? ' Anyways, I'm sure that a lot of you in here will be happy to see that, yes, Amon WILL be taking Robin to get her glasses in the next chapter. Hehehe. Anyways, to find out what happens, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!!


	9. The Troubling Prescription

Hi everyone. You must really hate me for the slow update. BUT! I have returned from the dead! Bwahaha…er…A/N:

1) I will never own WHR gaaah!!!!

2) Yes, like I said earlier, I'm really sorry that this had been taking so long to update. Vira has been busy, ne? Well anyways, I'm here again and I won't leave this fic until it's finished! Promise!

3) I am starting up two brand new fics. I hope to have them published onto here within the next week or so. Stay tuned!!!

4) My computer is dead, and so I won't be updating my website until it gets fixed. Sorry!!

…And that should pretty much cover everything. Well, I won't make you wait any longer! Here's the next chapter:

* * *

_There will always be times in our lives when we hear something we wish we didn't. We become oblivious...ignorant...blind to the truth. But the mask of truth will be lifted for us, one way or another. You can't run from your fate. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Robin walked timidly out of the STN-J building. Her last training class for the day had just finished up and now she was free to go. In Ms. Karasuma's room they had talked about how exactly a witch's powers are born. It was quite interesting. Nevertheless, Robin's mind had constantly wandered from the lesson to where she would be going after it was over...and with who.

She saw him leaning against his car. How long had he been waiting there for her? Robin blushed heavily and ran up to him.

"H...Hi Amon!" She blushed again. Did she say that too eagerly? Did he sense her hesitation?

Amon nodded to her. "The appointment won't take very long. It won't take more time than a standard check-up, I think." He reached over casually to grab the handle for her. She smiled and climbed inside.

"...That's fine. My grandfather isn't expecting me to be back until five or so. I'm glad I remembered to write a note for him to read before I left. He'll know where I am..."

Amon started the engine and pulled out of the parking space. "Do you mean that your grandfather has some sort of condition, Robin?"

She looked at him from her seat. "Oh, well he...he has short-term memory loss. None of the doctors have ever been able to explain it. But even so, he takes good care of me, and we've remained together as a family for a long time now." She paused for a moment to consider asking the next question.

"...Amon..." she began timidly. "Do you have any famil-?"

"-No." Amon swerved onto the highway. Robin sighed and returned her gaze to the window.

'I know why he's like that.' She thought. 'I want to help him in some way, but I don't know how...should I tell him about the dream I had? Or maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea...' She fingered her necklace absently. 'What should I do?'

After a few more minutes passed, Amon pulled off the highway. "It's not too much farther now." He said monotonously. Robin nodded and didn't say anything.

* * *

The car was driven into a parking space and shut off. Amon nodded to her and together they walked inside of the building. It was small for the most part, and was not all that different from what she had expected. The hallways were a sort of beige, like all the other medical buildings she had seen. To their left was a secretary, who was typing away and talking on the phone. Next to her was a neat row of waiting chairs for all the patients. A few were sitting in them.

"Excuse me..." Amon began as he approached the secretary.

She held her index finger up to signal him to wait. "One moment please..." The woman continued to talk on the phone.

Amon grunted in annoyance and reached away to grab a section of the newspaper from the nearby pile. Robin sat down on one of the waiting seats with patience. The man next to her got up suddenly, and she realized his name had been called. 'Who knows, I might be next.'

"Robin." Amon called to her. "Come here." He was now leaning against the secretary's desk. She nodded and walked up to him. "We're going to need some basic information from you before your appointment begins."

"Oh." She replied. "That's fine." She looked at the secretary. "What do you need to know?"

"Here." The woman handed her a sheet. "Since this is the first time you have visited here, a short form is required to be filled out. We just need to know your address, phone number, past medical history...things like that."

"I see." Robin replied. "Thank you." She bowed slightly and then moved away to sit down. Suddenly, she remembered something that she didn't have. "Oh!"

"...You're going to need one of these." Amon sat down next to her and handed Robin a pen. She nodded with a blush and took it from him. Robin felt his eyes glance down the list of questions and blanks. "By the way, in case you didn't know, the STN-J will be paying for this. I see one of the questions asks you that. It has always been an STN-J policy, so try not to worry about it." Amon relaxed in his chair and closed his eyes.

"R...Really?" She asked in surprise. "Well...that's very nice of them...are you sure it's okay?" He nodded. "Okay then...this won't take me long." Robin clicked the pen and began writing.

She smiled to herself. The STN-J was nicer to its trainees than she had originally thought. Eventually Robin was done filling it out and handed it back to the secretary. Now all they could do was wait.

* * *

"Robin Sena?"

She nodded and stood up. The man led her into a room and motioned for her to sit down. She glanced around. There were various types of medical instruments placed about—none that she had particularly wanted to touch. A few posters were placed here and there; the type that small children could look at the ease their nervousness in this room.

"The doctor will be here soon." The man said.

Robin smiled. "Thank you, that'll be fine." He nodded and left the room. When he was gone, she sighed with a bored tone. 'I wish Amon would have come in with me...' But this was probably for the best, after all. Who knew what was wrong with her!? Did she really want him to hear it!? 'At least this way, I won't be embarrassed.' She thought positively.

'But then...' she continued. 'I wonder what IS wrong with me anyways! Surely there must be a reason that my fire never hits its mark...I hope it's nothing serious. And then again, there might be nothing wrong with me _medically_, only that I'm a terrible hunter.' Robin sighed. 'No, don't think like _that_...I'm positive there must be a reason for it.'

Fear and doubt began to creep into her mind. 'Does...does the doctor _know _that I am a craft user? If not, how will I explain my problem to him? Will he just look at me like I'm crazy, or does he already know?" She stood up. "I can't be sure, and I don't want to wait here until he comes over...I think I'll go get Amon." Robin moved to leave.

But before she could, Robin heard the doorknob turn suddenly. A moment later, the doctor entered. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she quickly sat back down. The man took out a clipboard and began to jot a few things down. Robin waited patiently. When he was done, the doctor looked up and smiled at her. "Hello, Robin. So I suppose today we'll be getting a standard eye exam?" She nodded. "Excellent, excellent."

His voice lowered a little. "And don't worry, I already know why you're here. Only the ones from the STN-J come to me. They send them over because I happen to have an unusual gift for diagnosing any symptoms influenced by a person's craft. So there's really no need to be nervous over anything."

Robin breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh! That's good...I wasn't sure if...well...you knew."

The doctor shrugged. "That's okay--it's a common mistake a lot of my patients think." He motioned for her to sit down at another corner of the room. "Now, just try to relax, Robin. You're going to have to rest your face on top of this, okay?" The doctor pointed to a type of machine Robin was not familiar with. "But before you do..." he continued, "first I need to place a few drops in your eyes. Have you ever had them before?" She shook her head.

He smirked. "Well then you're in for a fun hour or two. Seriously though, if you try not to think about it too much, you'll be fine." Robin nodded and swallowed nervously. The doctor grabbed the container. She braced herself for the worst. He squeezed them in as quickly as possible, and Robin couldn't help but blink a little after he was done. "...Try not to do that." He said after he put the container back. "Just give it a moment or two to sink in…"

She sat there obediently and waited. Gradually, her eyes began to feel very funny. 'Maybe that's supposed to happen.' she thought.

"...Good. The worst part is over with, eh?" He chuckled. "Okay, now place your head right over here and look through." Robin peered through the two holes. Somewhere a light was switched on. "Tell me which is better, one or two."

And thus the eye examination began. Robin had to look through different glasses, read letters from a chart, and study the colors of a picture. When it was all over, the doctor wheeled his chair to her and said the thing she had least wanted to hear.

"Sorry Robin, but I'm afraid I need to give you a few more drops. Your condition is an interesting one, and I'll have to inspect a bit longer and closer for the best results."

She groaned inwardly, but nodded. "That's fine. I just want to be able to hit my target for once." The doctor chuckled at this and squeezed a few more drops inside of her eyes. Robin hated it. Even worse, immediately after he took a light and shined it in her eyes. She blinked several times.

The doctor looked around for a few moments curiously. Finally, he set his instrument down and began to scribble a few more things down on his clipboard. When it was finished he looked up at her. Robin awaited his answer eagerly and straightened up in the chair with anticipation.

"Well Robin, one thing is certain." The doctor said calmly after putting his pen back into his pocket. "You do NOT have perfect 20/20 vision, and you'll need a pair of glasses if you are ever going to hit the target."

Robin sighed at the news. It was a shattering diagnosis, and yet it was expected. She studied his eyes. "...But you still think there is something puzzling about me, right?"

He coughed and nodded with amazement. "Er...yes. You see, Robin, the edges of your pupils have a most irregular pattern—one that I am not familiar with at all. Now this is just the opinion of one doctor, but...I am willing to bet that each time you use your craft, your eyes become strained. If you strain them for long periods of time, then they start to become weaker and weaker. It's just a small hunch of mine, you understand. Somehow though, I don't think it's too far off from the truth."

Robin shook her head quickly. She did not know if whether or not this was true, but for now she would not accept it. "Um, I'm still going to use my craft, so it won't matter much to me."

The doctor shrugged. "...Suit yourself. Here." He tore off a piece of paper and handed it to her. "This is your prescription. Now you'll be able to find the glasses you need, alright Robin?"

She nodded slowly and took the paper from him. "Thank you." He smiled and opened the door for her. They walked outside. The appointment was over. Robin sighed with relief.

* * *

She went back to the waiting room. Amon looked up at her when she reached him. Robin must've had a worried expression on her face, because he rose from his chair and asked her what was the matter.

She glanced around. "Um, maybe I should just tell you in the car, Amon..."

He nodded. "That's fine." Amon looked down to the piece of paper in her hand. "What's that for?"

She sighed. "I need..._glasses_..."

He shrugged. "It could be worse. Well come on then, we'll stop by the place that makes them..."

"Okay." Robin followed him back to the car.

* * *

When they pulled out of the parking lot, Robin began to explain to him what was said. Amon stared at the road with an intense expression and said nothing while listening to her.

"...And so," Robin finished, "he said that it might be because of my craft. Every time I use it, my eyes become a little weaker. He mentioned the amount of strain that is put on them when I use my fire." She glanced up at him. "What do you think, Amon?"

"This is something that is not unheard of, though I've never seen a case such as yours personally. However, it's too soon to jump to conclusions. That may not necessarily be the reason."

She sighed unhappily. "I hope you're right."

Amon glanced down at her. "If there is a risk that you may lose your sight completely, then perhaps it would be in your best interest if you stop training to become a witch hunter..."

Robin smiled. "...That's okay. I couldn't picture myself doing anything else."

He turned left down the street. "I won't stop you, then. But to be safe, you shouldn't use the craft unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Yes, you're right...I won't, then." Amon nodded with satisfaction and pulled into the parking lot. Robin looked around. Along with the store for glasses, there were several other shops open. It was a sort of strip mall. She also saw places for manicures, haircuts, shoes, videos, and clothes. Amon unlocked the door and they stepped outside.

Robin gazed among all the dozens of rows of frames. "There...there's just so _many _of them!" She exclaimed. "I have no idea where to _begin_..." She peered down the wall. "Mine must be here somewhere..."

"Try this one." Amon walked up to her from behind and handed her a pair. Robin looked at him with surprise, but nodded and took the frame from his hand. She stooped down next to the mirror to see what she looked like. When Robin put on the frame, something hurt suddenly and she took it off.

Amon glanced at her curiously. "What's wrong?"

She blushed. "Oh, um...n-nothing, the eye drops he gave me probably haven't worn off yet, that's all." She folded the frame up. "Thank you Amon, I think these will be fine."

Robin followed him then to get her glasses set.

The lady at the counter smiled. "This will take until tomorrow. Will you be able to pick these up then?"

Robin thought for a moment. "Hmm…I'm sure I'll be able to stop by with my motorbike...yes, that'll be fine."

The woman typed a few things into the computer, and then left to bring her frame to the back of the store for the process to begin. She handed Robin a receipt, and then they turned to leave.

* * *

Amon was about to push the door open, but suddenly, his hand froze in midair. Robin stared at him curiously. "Is something wrong, Amon?"

"Shh…" Slowly, he turned his head to the side. She followed his gaze. "Yes, it IS her, there's no mistake about it." Amon mumbled. He looked back at Robin. "Hurry, behind that desk over here." Before she could say anything, he crouched underneath it. Amon pulled her down. "Don't say anything too loudly, we'll wait until she leaves the store."

Robin stared at him. "She who? Who is that, Amon?"

"That is Chiyeko Hori. She has been wanted for murder by the STN-J for months now. I've been following her case from the start, and I have seen her photograph enough to recognize her from anywhere. There's no mistaking it."

Robin peered over the desk curiously. The woman was about her height and had long, white hair. She had incredibly pale skin and was wearing a blue sweater with jeans. She sneezed, and blew her nose with a Kleenex.

Robin looked back at Amon. "A...witch then?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes. One of the worst kinds." Suddenly, Chiyeko pushed the door open and disappeared outside. Amon leapt out again. "Now's our chance!" Before she could think at all, Amon pulled her along out of the store.

* * *

Review Responses:

vegetasprincess1: Hahaha well I wouldn't qualify this as 'real soon' but hey, I tried!

Gundamwinggirl: Hehehe, yes yes, fluffiness is always a good thing, and more is promised!

Silent Zephyer: blush thanks! Glad you like it so much!!!!

Aisling Niamh: lol, well I can promise you one thing, and that is they are definitely NOT bro and sis.

jasmine3883: sad sorry you had to wait so long then! From now on my updates will be a lot quicker.

Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Glad to hear it! Keep reading then!

Haruya: Hehehe, yep fluff is on its way!

Trekgirl01: Yeah well, I just wanted Touko to say her piece and be done with it lol. I'm glad she's gone now...gah that's so evil of me. =D

Cat: Well then thanks for understanding!

darkfire19: lol, I sure did...

MusiqMistress: poor thing! pat well maybe now that summer is here, you'll have more time, ne?

theUniverseBeyond: haha I hate parents/brothers. And yes, if you think you have a good idea, then by all means try it!

nw2wrting: Arigato! Thanks for reading!

Stephanie Leung: Nope, not related! And whaddaya MEAN you have a reason now to finally like him!? I'd luff him without the cat all the same! =D

Susan: Okay, well then I hope you don't fall over!

Stephanie Leung (again): Really? When? I'd think that'd be SO cool! Tell me when!!!

Kagome Of Summer Dances: Sure, I can read it...I'll review too, if you want!

Row: Maybe! Hehehe...

lurid-eyes: Thanks! Hope you'll continue to read this!

Lea G: Arigato! Why, have you read the other ones I've written?

Lea G (again): Well then I hope this wasn't too late of an update for you!

Again, I am SO sorry about the delay! It won't happen again!!! Anyways, I will be starting my other fanfics up soon, so visit them, ne? In the meantime, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


	10. The Cold Room And Fortune

Hey everyone! The big fluffy chapter has arrived AT LAST!!! Well I won't make you guys wait any longer, so I'll just say that I don't own any part of WHR, and here's the next installment!!!:

* * *

_Our destinies reside in our own hands. They await our command, and will take us down the path we have decided upon. This future cannot be determined with fate alone. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Amon unlocked his car quickly and reached for his cell phone and the Orbo gun that he kept tucked safely away from Robin's view until now. He checked the amount--there was about eight shots left. Would it be enough?

"Here." He tossed Robin the cell phone. "Call the STN-J and see if anyone is there. A person named Michael will most likely answer."

"Okay." Robin quickly punched the number in. After waiting a few moments, she looked up at him again. "There's no response."

Amon groaned in frustration. "We'll just have to do this ourselves, then. I've waited too long to let this one go." He moved up the sidewalk then, and Robin followed him.

He felt a little guilty for allowing her to follow. After all, she still did not have her glasses or the experience of a full-fledged hunter. Still, Amon preferred her to come with him rather than wait in the car. In all probability Robin would have left the car after awhile to go look for him anyways, so this was better...in theory, at least. But besides that, she was _completely _useless.

Together they moved down the sidewalk in pursuit of Chiyeko. Sometime since she left the glasses store, she must've realized someone was following her because her pace increased more and more until eventually it broke into a run. But Amon wouldn't let her go.

Chiyeko turned the corner and flew down the street. 'She's headed for the abandoned office building.' He realized. 'She wants to fight.' Amon smirked. Well, she would be given that chance soon enough.

They burst the door open and quickly ran down the hallway. Suddenly that hallway merged with another one, and then another. "Which way?" Robin inquired quietly. Amon tilted his head to the side to signal her that he didn't know either. "Maybe we should split up to look around...."

"...No, stay with me." Amon replied. "It's too dangerous for you, especially because you don't have your glasses yet." Suddenly, they heard a noise in the next room, and he jerked his head up. "In there." They ran forward.

And indeed, when they got there, Chiyeko was standing in the other doorway. She saw them come in, but didn't look surprised. Instead, she smirked, took out and cigarette and lighter, and exhaled the smoke in a calm way. Suddenly, she began to chuckle. It grew louder and louder until she was laughing uncontrollably.

"...I've been expecting the STN-J to find me sooner or later. In fact, I've waited months for this. And now, when the moment has arrived at last..." Chiyeko paused to laugh again in an almost insane way. "...I can't say I was anticipating only _two _of you. Kind of disappointing, wouldn't you say?" She paused again to take another bite at the cigarette. After she was done, she looked at Amon dead in the eye.

"...Tell me, did I simply underestimate the STN-J? Or are you both stronger than you look? Which is it?"

Amon made no response, and took a step forward instead. Her face widened. "I suggest you don't move again." Chiyeko smirked. "I can see it in your eyes all the way over here. You _know _just exactly how strong I am."

"Try me." He growled.

She shrugged and put her lips once more to the cigarette. "...Suit yourself. I need a little fun anyways." Amon raised his gun to her, but before he could shoot, Amon suddenly became aware of the burning he felt on his face. She had thrown her spent cigarette at him and run out of the room in the midst of his momentary confusion. Amon sworn under his breath with frustration.

"Come on!" He heard Robin shout from somewhere. Amon nodded and wiped the ash away from his face. Together they ran down the hall.

And then, they skidded to a halt. "Where now?" Robin asked as they looked around wildly.

"Over here, you idiots!" Chiyeko shouted to them somewhere to the right in a taunting sort of way. Without hesitation the two ran down the hall. "You'll never catch meee!!" More insane laughter could be heard around the corner. Amon's brow deepened in annoyance--pretty soon he would no longer be able to bear hearing such a laugh.

They raced into a room. At the other side was a closed door which probably led to somewhere else, and so they quickly crossed over to it. Amon turned the knob with haste.

"Locked." He whispered hoarsely. "A dead end..." They turned around swiftly to go back the way they came in.

But to their horror, Chiyeko was standing at the doorway. She had the same smirk on her face that Amon had last saw. "Hope you brought a sweater!" She laughed uncontrollably at her own joke and shut the door while locking it right before they reached it. Amon practically collided into the door and pounded on it furiously. "Oh no..." Robin watched him from a distance as he tried desperately to break down the door. "...It's no good. The door is too strong..." Amon ran to the other side of the room to break that door down as well. If he didn't think of something fast and they didn't get out of here soon...

"Um, Amon?" Robin asked curiously as she approached him from behind. "Maybe...I should help?"

"No." He replied. "I can feel it already--this door is just as strong as the other one." In spite of this however, he continued to heave himself hopelessly against their only means of escape.

She watched him do this for a few more moments in silence, and then shuddered. "We'll be okay...won't we? We'll just wait for help..."

He made no answer.

"And Amon, what did Chiyeko mean just a few moments ago? I don't understand..."

A cold chill began to fill the room. But this was only the beginning.

Robin's eyes widened. She felt it too. "Do you mean...her craft...?" Comprehension filled her face as she turned to look at the very small windows on the wall of the room. Frost had begun to form.

He shut his eyes tightly.

* * *

Michael rounded the corner and stuffed another donut bit into his mouth. Besides computers and coffee, this was his true love. He smiled in gluttonous content and set the bag down near the hard drive. "Maybe the others will like some of these." Suddenly Michael stared at the half-eaten pastry in his hand. He took another bite and shrugged. "Oh well! First come, first served."

He stretched a little and landed on top of his comfortable desk chair. It had been a busy day for him. Of course, they always were for Michael, but this day it seemed to be exceptionally so. Everybody always wanted something from him. For some reason they had been given the impression that he knew everything. And if he _didn't _happen to know something, he could find it out in a snap. Like magic. Only Michael himself seemed to know that it wasn't always that simple. And he was growing tired of it.

"Oh well." Michael murmured. "It's not like I can quit anyways." He sighed and looked up at the security camera staring back at him. "I guess it's back to work for me then..."

He took another bite from his donut and clicked the screensaver away. A tracking program marked 'Important!' immediately caught his eye. Michael scanned through the text quickly. "Hmm...phone message...failed to receive...ah, here's the location the signal was given...and I see that's the number..." He stared at it for a few moments, and then suddenly recognized it.

"...WHAT!?" The rest of his donut flew from his hand to the floor as he rushed to the phone.

* * *

"Come on, Robin...try it again. It shouldn't be too hard for you to melt the lock from a distance so close, right?"

She nodded. "Yes...it shouldn't be hard at all...I don't understand why it didn't work. Let me do it again..." Amon watched as her eyes became hazy for a moment, and then lit up. A tiny flame appeared from nowhere and hovered about the door handle, but it wasn't nearly as strong enough to melt the whole thing. He groaned in disappointment. "No..." Robin whispered softly. "No...no...no! I can do this! We'll get out! I can!" Again and again she tried to use her craft, but each time the flame would become smaller and smaller, until there came nothing.

The frost had spread from the edges of the windows to the sills. Amon could start to see traces of his breath. "...That's enough, Robin." He said to her suddenly. He pulled her back.

She shook her head. "But-"

"-Save your strength. You may need it." He rested himself against the wall.

After a moment, Robin reluctantly gave up and sat down. "My eyes...they hurt a lot. Why...why..." Her brow deepened into concentration of explaining how it could be done. Suddenly, Robin's face lit up. "Of course! That's it!" Amon looked over at her curiously. "The eye drops he gave me haven't completely worn off yet! He gave me an extra amount. It'll take 45 minutes at most for my eyes to return to normal."

But Amon knew all too well Chiyeko's spell didn't take _that _long. "We might not have that much time."

Her face softened then, and sadness clouded her magnificently green eyes. "I...I'm so useless..." She whispered. "I'm a failure...I'll _never_ make it as a witch hunter...I'll only get in the way..."

She let out a noise that was a mixture between a sob and a sigh of despair. Upon hearing this Amon's protective shell around his heart crumbled into pieced. 'Oh God.' He thought. 'What have I done? Why did I bring her along on such a dangerous hunt? Why didn't I insist that she stay in the car, where it would be safe? And now, she might die here...and I would have only myself to blame.'

His expression turned from despair over their situation to concern over Robin's well-being. On an impulse, Amon looked down at her hands. They were trembling, and not just from fear. At this point his fingers were too cold to properly flex, so instead he gingerly tore off his gloves with his teeth and told her to wear them.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, but I can't! What about you? You need to wear something too, Amon!"

"Don't worry about me." He replied gruffly. "Now hurry, put them on." Robin stretched her hands out and tried to take them, but they kept shaking too much to get a proper grasp. Amon took her hands then experimentally and she gasped. It was just as he had thought--colder than ice. "...You see?" He said. "If you don't put them on soon you'll eventually feel nothing in them." Robin looked away.

What Robin didn't know, and what he wasn't about to tell her, was that this was the first time he had ever held a woman's hand outside of the family. For what it was worth now, it was an experience he didn't want to end...even if she WAS a student. In order to get more circulation going, Amon rubbed her delicate palms quickly for the blood to flow. He looked away from her while doing this in order to hide his enjoyment.

A blush rose throughout her body. He could feel it. 'I'm making her uncomfortable.' He realized. Quickly Amon somehow managed to get the gloves on her hands, even though they were too big for her. Robin mumbled her thanks beneath the redness of her face and stuck the hands Amon wanted to feel again back into the jacket's pockets.

He glanced at the windows again. The frost had traveled around the cracks of the walls and would soon reach the floor. It was only a matter of time, really. "This normally doesn't take this long." He commented suddenly. "Chiyeko is intentionally making this process slow. She wants to torture us a little, it seems."

Robin said nothing. He looked over to her and saw that she was shivering uncontrollably. And it was then that he realized he was too. Amon's anger for himself rose up again. He didn't want to see her suffering like that, ever. And so, he did the only thing that he could do at the moment.

"Robin, come here."

She looked up at him reluctantly upon hearing this and shook her head. "No, I'm fine...really."

"...If you won't come over here, then I'll go over there." Was that meant to be a threat? Amon couldn't be sure. She bit her lip and finally walked over. He unhooked something from his neck and handed it to her. "Wear this."

Robin stared at it for a few moments before comprehending. "But this is...your Orbo! I can't wear _this!"_

"You can and you must, Robin. It'll protect you a little from the craft." He looked at her with soft, concerned eyes.

"Well then...we'll both wear it!" Robin cried. She leaned again him suddenly and placed the string around both of their necks. It was long enough to allow a comfortable distance between them. Still, Amon noticed that their breaths had begun to mingle haphazardly in the cold. He stared at her in shock. 'Robin is your student...'

But that reminder quickly melted away from his mind once he felt Robin reach for him. Despite their situation, she gave an innocent giggle. "I may never get a chance to do this again, you know." She unfolded his hand and delicately traced the lines there. Amon had begun to feel something he had never quite felt before, but he fought this new feeling away quickly.

Robin closed her eyes. "Hmm...you have five big lines and a small one altogether. This means that, if you were to ever have children, your first one will be born halfway through the month of May. Bu only if it's a boy. For a girl, it will be halfway through July. Your longest line starts at your thumb and ends near your ring finer. You will marry someone who is younger than you by at least four years." Amon saw her blush, but her voice did not show it as she continued. "The line that cuts between the longest shows that you are likely to take risks. Lastly, the short line that splits off from another means you will look back to your past and find something you never would've dreamed of." She let go of his hand and smiled gently.

Amon stared at it for a few moments. Did all of those lines actually mean something? He had seen them many times whenever he would happen to casually peer down to it without the glove, but he never knew so much could be told from something so little.

"It's not that hard, really." Robin said. "You just need practice..."

He looked at her. "Something from my past...I will learn what I could never dream of...what do you mean?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't elaborate much more than that. You'll have to figure the rest out..."

Suddenly, they heard shouts coming from outside of the doorway. They stood up, and Amon unhooked his Orbo from her. "What's going on!?" Robin shouted. He looked over at the windows. The frost there was starting to leave.

"They found us." He whispered. "Michael must have traced the location of the call you tried to make." He barely had time to finish that sentence when they heard a key fit noisily into the lock of the door. It swung wide open, and from it came Karasuma.

She smiled and dusted herself off. "Glad to see you two are still alive. Chiyeko was apprehended just a few moments ago. The others are waiting downstairs." She looked them over carefully for a moment or two. "You guys okay? How long have you been in here? Do you need medical treatment for anything?"

They both shook their head. Karasuma nodded to his and lead them outside. Sure enough, there was Chiyeko, being shipped off to the factory. Amon never liked seeing that, no matter how dangerous the witch. He turned away.

"Goodbye, Robin." He said to her once the van had left. "I'll see you in class tomorrow..." She nodded and gave the same smile that had the strange, foreign effect on him.

* * *

Review Responses:

Wake-Robin: Hehe, thanks!

Chii-san: The other fanfic is a Sess/Kag pairing and it will be a sequel to the one I have currently.

Haruya: Really? OOC how? Maybe I can fix it!

ShiroKitsune: Yeah, I know it was kind of long, but it had to be written. Sorry to make you guys go through all of that, lol.

WindSorceress: Hehehe, you're my number one fan for this story, eh? Neat! =D

Bana: Well, we'll find out all the answers to those questions by the end, don't you worry about that!

lurid-eyes: Hey thanks! Hope you'll be able to read the rest!

Stephanie Leung or a.k.a Yuna of Paradise: Yeah I did read that, it's really nice! I liked the sequel to that more, lol. A little more mature I guess…it's in my favs now! All thanks to you, hehehe.

Gundamwinggirl: Well, it's really really hard to get his personality down, you understand. He's probably THE hardest character for that, in fact.

ROW: lol, if you say so!

Kagome Of Summer Dances: Yes yes! I promise I'll review, but I can't do it now, Vira has been very busy after all…

Trekgirl01: Arigato! It seems some of my reviewers would disagree with you though, lol.

Seed-of-Flame: lol! Yeah that's funny to imagine, can you just picture that happening? Hehehe.

jasmine3883: You're welcome! Hope you'll write more!!

…Well, that's all. Not too many reviews that time, but I can't say I didn't expect that…oh well. Hopefully you'll review more now, seeing how this is the big fluffy chappy and all! I really need feedback, so R&R!! Arigato, ja ne!!!!


	11. The Christmas Party

Hey all! Vira's back again, and this time she brought along a chappy update! I'm glad you guys liked that last chappy so much. I promised fluff and so there was fluff! =D Well, here's a few A/Ns:

1) Nope, still don't own WHR…

2) Okay, now, I _know _that a lot of you guys have been prancing about and whatnot because WHR has returned. But. Nobody _told _Vira about this, and so I was WHR-less for a week. THEN, because I had to wait one _more _week, the power went out from a stupid storm and we didn't have cable! I missed it _again! _Which brings me to my third point…

3) Don't celebrate for too long, my little pretties. I saw on the July line-up that WHR will no longer be there. Get it while you can!!! It won't last!!!

4) My computer is STILL out of order, so I STILL can't update my website. I apologize for any inconvenience this might be causing…

5) Okay, now does anyone remember in the second chapter, Amon read that reallllly long attendance list? Yeah. I had him do that for a reason, you know. =D Each character from it will be part of the plot, so it'd be wise to know who they are!

Ah, that should be all for right now. Well anyways, here's a nice update for you!:

* * *

_Deception…a world of illusion that can change one's life. Reality is twisted and contorted to create a multitude of falsehoods. But in the end, only one truth will prevail. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

The next month or two had been a breeze for Robin. She had finally gotten her glasses, and with them, her accuracy had shot up to 98 percent. People in her training class were no longer afraid to have her as a partner. Robin's confidence had returned to her and now she felt she had the chance she needed to become a full hunter.

Weeks grew colder and it was now at the end of December, right before Christmas break. On the last day Robin found herself waiting for the bell to ring in Ms. Karasuma's class. Her teacher already knew that it was quite pointless to try and lecture the students on the last hour of the day, so instead she made them fill out a fairly easy worksheet over different witchcraft symbols and signs. Just as Robin was finishing up, a finger tapped her back from behind.

It was Doujima. "I guess you're done, eh?"

She nodded.

"So am I. Then here, I have something for you…" Doujima picked up her bag and began rummaging around. "Hmm…where oh where could it be…" She buried her hand deep inside of it. "Ah! I found it!" Doujima pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to her. "This is the address to the house where a small Christmas party will be given on the 24th. It's informal, so wear whatever. The time will be from 6 to 10 PM."

Robin stared at the sheet. "Whose house is this? And who else will be there?"

She smiled. "All the people that are invited are students of this building. Mainly, the ones that we can trust with…certain things. As for the house…Sakaki is the one who lives there. Do you know who he is? Sakaki's my boyfriend, you see." She beamed happily.

"Oh. No, I don't really know him…" Robin replied thoughtfully. "But what do you mean 'the ones you can trust?' I don't understand…" She looked at Doujima curiously.

She sighed. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough…" Before she could say more, the bell rang to signal the beginning of Christmas break. "Well, I'll see you then, Robin…" Doujima waved goodbye and left. Robin placed the paper inside her pocket thoughtfully and stood up to leave.

* * *

And soon, that day arrived. Robin decided not to take her motorbike since the weather was too cold. So instead, she took the bus, which was something she wasn't looking forward to, but there seemed to be no other choice.

Doujima welcomed her once she rang the doorbell. "Hi Robin! Glad you could make it! Come down to the basement, okay? Everyone else is there, and plenty of food, too…"

Robin smiled gratefully and nodded. "Thank you, Doujima." She stepped inside and looked around in a glance. Various Christmas decorations were placed around the walls and floors. It gave a special, inviting glow to the household, which cheered Robin up considerably. Between all the different trading of relatives she had experienced, Robin had rarely celebrated the holidays ever since her mother died.

"I can take your coat, if you want…it looks pretty wet. Was snowing outside?" Doujima peered out the window curiously.

"Oh…yes, thank you, that will be fine. And you're right, it was snowing a little. Not very much, but just enough to make me cold…I catch the flu pretty easily." She sighed.

"Poor thing." Doujima said sympathetically. "Well, there's some nice hot cocoa and tea down there!" Robin nodded, and after Doujima put her coat away, they walked downstairs.

* * *

And indeed, when they reached the end Robin could smell all the delicious hot liquids that would hopefully warn her up. She immediately recognized some of her classmates there—in particular, her friends Yuma, Kazuko, and Tsutomu. They waved to her and she walked up to them.

"Hello! This is a surprise! I didn't know you three were invited!"

Yuma looked around before answering. "Robin, this is _more _than just a party, you know! You _do _know what this is about, right?"

Robin looked at her with surprise. "Huh? What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Well I guess there's no point in explaining it now. You'll find out soon enough, I suppose…"

"Here, have some cookies!" Kazuko put them into her hand happily. "I made them not too long ago."

Robin thanked him, and went over to the table for some hot chocolate. It tasted good, and warmed her up tremendously.

After a few minutes of more talk, Robin noticed a boy older than her stand up. He cleared his throat loudly, and everyone turned to look at him. "Thank you all for coming here. Please, sit down now." Robin scanned around the room for any open chairs, and finally spotted one. "As most of you know, my name is Sakaki. Most of you ALSO know that this party is really a cover-up for something much greater. I invited you here today because, if what I suspect is true, then we'll need a fairly big number of people for the job."

"What for? Why do you need us?" One person asked behind Robin.

Sakaki smiled. "It's simple, really. Take a look around you—every single one of us is from the STN-J. That's our only connection, really. In addition, I have specifically invited a select group of craft users whom I feel I can trust. We'll need you guys the most. Before I get into details however, I would like each craft user present to stand up, say his or her name, and explain his or her craft. This way we can get a good feel for things."

"I'll go first, then." A boy said to Robin's left. Sakaki nodded and he stood up. "Well, I'm Elijah Morris. In case you haven't seen me practice enough during training, I have the ability to slide any object around. Observe." An empty chair that Robin was sitting next to suddenly moved about fifteen feet upwards. A few seconds later, it was placed in its original spot.

Another boy stood up. "Er, hi everyone. My name is Atsutane Mutsu, and I can form an unbreakable barrier around anything. See, here, I'll show you…" He took a nearby drinking glass and uttered something under his breath. Then he dropped the glass to the ground, but instead of breaking like it normally would, it simply bounced off the floor. Everyone clapped in amazement and he sat back down.

"I'm Maeko Kareko." A girl said. "I can control all types of liquid…like this!" Suddenly all the punch flew out of the punch bowl and all that was left were the ice cubes. It hovered all about the room for a few moments, and then the punch suddenly leapt back to its bowl. Robin looked down at the hot chocolate she had. Her grip tightened around the cup.

"…You can call me Melissa Clarke." Another girl said. Robin immediately noticed that she had a delightful British accent. "I can make certain things float…" One of Doujima's magazines suddenly flew over to Melissa. Doujima gave an outcry as Melissa held it in front of her with her craft and began to read. Eventually, it was given back to its rightful owner. Everyone laughed…except Doujima, of course.

This time, Tsutomu stood up. "Hey everyone, I'm Tsutomu Iseya. My craft is the ability to create impulse waves…like so!" He held out his hand casually and something sprang from it. Rings of waves grew bigger and bigger in an instant, and then it suddenly disappeared as quickly as it was created. "I can make them a LOT bigger, of course." He said with a blush.

By this time they had been standing up to introduce themselves in an orderly fashion, like a sort of circle around the room. The next girl looked around and stood up quietly. "Um…my name is Kazumi Narahashi, and I can change the brightness of a light." Immediately after she said that, the lights went out. Shouts of protest could be heard everywhere, and then they came back on. Kazumi chuckled.

Yuma rose bravely. "I'm Yuma Shinasu. Since I can't use my craft to demonstrate on a person, we'll just take that spider over there in the corner." She nodded to it and everyone looked around. Suddenly, the spider began twitching uncontrollably. "I can make a person have a seizure with special mind waves." She explained. It trembled and nearly collapsed. Suddenly, the spider stopped twitching and she sat back down happily.

A boy stood up next to Yuma and paused to push up his glasses. "My name is Steven Robertson. Allow me to demonstrate my craft…" Suddenly something shot out from his eyes. It was a massive amount of brightness. The thing flew to a nearby wall and bounced off of it. "I can create a large amount of light energy." He smiled at their amazement and sat down.

Not it was Robin's turn. "Um, hello everyone. I guess my craft is simple enough—I can create fire. Here, I'll show you…" She held up a napkin from the table and set it on fire with her eyes. It burned around for a little bit, and then finally the whole thing disintegrated, with only a pile of ash left on the floor. Robin bent over and scooped it up carefully.

Last but not least, there was Kazuko. He stood up nervously. "Er, my name is Kazuko Shiomi. I don't think I can show you my craft though…" He glanced at Sakaki for some support on this.

"That's correct." Sakaki stood up and walked over to Kazuko. He proudly put his hand on Kazuko's shoulder with a smile. "I want you all to pay special attention to his craft. It will be our secret weapon. He has the ability to magnify any given craft, which will be the key to our success. With him, we will be a strong enough foe to Solomon."

Murmurs of confusion and protest could be heard all around the room. Robin shifted in her chair uncomfortably. What was Sakaki planning? And what did Solomon have to do with it?

"Allow me to explain, everyone." Sakaki sat back down. "You see, this 'Christmas party' is actually just a recruitment seminar for all who wish to join my cause. Doujima, the pictures."

She nodded and wheeled over what appeared to be an easel with giant pictures. She handed him a retractable pointer.

"Thanks." He whispered to her. Doujima smiled with a nod, and then Sakaki turned to his guests once more. "Before I reveal these, I will ask you one last time whether or not I may trust you all. Once you see this, there's no turning back. If anybody wishes to leave, do it now."

Nobody dared to move an inch.

"Excellent." He turned to the pictures. "I'm glad I have so many people in here that give their full cooperation. Now then. Picture One. This is a picture of Solomon HQ. Doesn't look too suspicious, right? Just a normal office building, one would say. But most of their work isn't done here…" He moved the picture to the next one. "…No, _this _is where it all happens. Does anyone in here know what this is?"

"Looks to me like it's the Factory, where the witches go that we catch." Maeko answered confidently.

"Correct, Maeko. But here's another question…how many of you have handled Orbo?" Sakaki moved the card to show a picture of it. All hands were raised. "That's what I thought—in class, I'm assuming. By chance does anyone know what Orbo is made of?"

They glanced at each other with confused faces.

"…That's what I had imagined. But if you think about the wonders of Orbo for a moment, you find yourself questioning what possible substance could exist that is able to nullify crafts of all kinds…"

Sakaki unveiled the next picture. "This is the same Orbo, only this time it has been magnified for a closer look. Notice anything?"

Robin studied the picture, but without her glasses she couldn't see anything wrong.

"I see some strange strands floating within the liquid." Steven observed after a moment.

Sakaki leaned forward. "Those aren't just _any _stands…that is…_DNA_!"

A gasp swept through the guests. He uncovered another picture. "Here is the same Orbo, but it has been magnified even more so. Notice that each strand is actually two, or…a double helix. I can see the cogs spinning in your minds from here. Obviously the next question to ask is, exactly whose DNA is that, then? Well, I say that the answer is clear-"

Kazumi stood up suddenly. "Now just a moment here! Are you _actually _saying that it's a sure, 100% confirmed thing here!? What if you only _think _it's DNA? After all, Orbo is very mysterious to us. Perhaps it only _looks _like DNA, but it's really something else?"

All eyes turned back to Sakaki, but it was actually Doujima who answered. "Well you see, Sakaki and I were suspicious about it when they handed it to us in class so we snuck into the STN-J lab and had it analyzed. We almost got caught, but we ended up being okay." She winked, and he blushed a little. "Anyways, that was when we discovered what was truly in it…DNA."

"But not just anyone's DNA…" Sakaki continued. "You may not be able to tell from this picture, but the DNA is actually dyed green, to give it the color of the Orbo. Solomon does this to mask the its true ingredient."

He revealed another picture—this time, it was of a Factory van. "To me, the answer is simple enough. Although there is no evidence as of yet…we believe that this DNA comes from the very same witches that we strive so hard to capture. Some of you are quite appalled at the notion, I imagine, but if you think about it, it only makes sense. Solomon has always had the policy of capturing, not killing, the witches we hunt. To most, this would seem very humane and generous of Solomon. But isn't it possible that they only hold this policy in place so the DNA of a witch can be obtained? Think about it."

"But why?" Elijah asked. "Assuming your hypothesis is correct, why not just take their DNA when they're dead instead of alive?"

"…To be honest, I'm not sure." He replied truthfully. "But I would imagine that a witch's DNA is very different from a regular person's. Death could quite possibly ruin it for the Orbo. Through Solomon's research they might've seen this."

"As soon as Doujima and I saw that it was actually DNA inside Orbo, I knew I would not be able to forget the possibility of what might be happening. I knew…I had to find out for sure. And so, I gathered you all here for help. My plan is to break into the Factory and see if we can find something else about what's going on with the witches there."

"We need you guys!" Doujima chimed in. "Come on…do you really want to hunt witches when there might be a chance that Solomon is not as humane as it may seem? There's something fishy going on behind the scenes here. We need to find out the truth—especially whose DNA this is and how they take it from them. The poor witches…"

Everyone stared at each other through the room. Was this true? Could it be real? What did it mean?

"I know one thing, at least." Robin said suddenly. "If what you say is the truth, then that means Zaizen has been deceiving us. There is _no one_ in here who can tell me what they do to the witches we catch. I would like to find out what they have been hiding. There must be a reason for it that they don't want us to know. But we'll never find out by asking." She turned to Sakaki and smiled. "I'm in."

"Me too!" Yuma cried.

"And me!" Tsutomu added.

One by one, the other craft users agreed to the plan. Sakaki stood up and smiled. "This is even better than what I had hoped for. Very well, our first meeting is officially adjourned. I'll see you guys on another date."

Everyone stood up to leave, each thinking his or her different thoughts. For some reason, Robin wanted to see Amon again after leaving the house. 'Perhaps he would be able to shed some light on the matter' she thought.

But on the other hand, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea. He would look at her like she was crazy. Either that, or he would consult with Zaizen over the issuse, which was something they couldn't afford to happen. 'I really want to trust him…I want to be able to trust Amon with this…but I don't know…can I? Should I?' She sighed and sat down to wait for the bus. It was all so confusing…

* * *

Review Responses:

Bana: Hahaha! Well, we all have our off-days…

Gundamwinggirl: Freaky! That's something that could only happen on FF.Net, I s'pose…

Yuna of Paradise: Heh heh, actually I made the whole thing up…I'm sure they do it quite differently in r/l. =D

Chii-san: Arigato, hope you'll read this as well!

ShiroKitsune: Hehe, yeah it was definitely all off the top of my head…XD

Haruya: Yay! Glad you like it so much, a lot of people seem to…

Midnight Scribbler: I'm relieved to hear you think they're in character. It's really, really hard to do with Amon, lol.

WindSorceress: Hey, there's this story's #1 fan!! =D Yes I agree, it was definitely cute…

Trekgirl01: Really? You really think so? Well, arigato!

lurid-eyes: Hehe, thanks! Hope you'll read more!

Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Yay! Glad you like!

Emma: Well you know, I've read that Wolf's Rain only has like 30 episodes, so once a day on weeknights wouldn't be too long for it, ne?

Sesshoumarusgirl123: lol, hope you haven't been waiting too long then! =D

Seed-of-Flame: Hehe, yeah I wish I were Robin too…falling in love with Amon…mmmm…mmmmmm…

Wake-Robin: Thanks! I think the room idea was pretty neat myself…

Aisling Niamh: Really, not too fluffy huh? Lol well you're the first reviewer to say that!

fantacdreamer: Hehe, a person of few words!

Row: Why do you like typing in all caps lol? Is your keyboard broken or something?

vegetasprincess1: Yeah I think so too! =D

Katana Blade: Really? Well that's cool I guess.

Katana Blade (again): I do? When?

Katana Blade (again): Really? Most people seem to hate the fact it's once a week!

Shawn Provoncha: Arigato! Hope you'll read more!

Katana Blade (again): Well thank you! I hope this is quick enough…

theUniverseBeyond: Hmm yeah, that IS a good quote! Well for the record, I don't do palmistry, lol.

Kagome Of Summer Dances: Argiato! I trust you'll like this one too…maybe? Heh.

Yuna of Paradise (again): 7 dreams eh? Were there 7 guys then? =D

Cat: Gotcha! Here's the next chappy for you.

Yuna of Paradise: Calm down girl! There's no fluff in this chappy really, so you can breathe…for now…

Whew, that took a long time for some reason. Anyways, I really hope you like this chapter, and yes I realize that a) it was a bit slow and b) you guys will be disappointed for the lack of fluff. BUT! More fluff will come soon, promise! And quicker updates! I'm going on vacation so I'll have lots of time to write in the car. Hehe. Anyways, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!!!


	12. The Factory's Inside

Hey everyone, it's good to be back. Well my vacation sucked (a lot) but that's neither here nor there. Anyways, here's my A/Ns for this chapter:

1) Don't own WHR of course!

2) When Vira went on vacation, she missed the new eppies of Inuyasha and Wolf's Rain! If one (or more) of my lovely reviewers could be SO KIND as to tell me what happened basically, I promise to add an extra amount of fluffage in the next chappy. =D

3) My computer is STILL broken, and so the website has yet to be updated. Sorry…

4) When I go down to the review button thingie there's this thing that will allow you to recommend the story to others or whatever. Does anyone here know what exactly it does? I'm confuuuuused!!!!

…That should be all. And now, here's the next chapter for this story. Hope you guys like it!:

* * *

_Determining what is right and wrong can either become a simple task or a hard decision. To some, the correct path is not as clear as one might think. Some things cannot be seen with light. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

The Christmas break had come and gone quickly and soon they were back at the STN-J training facility. A bad snowstorm had hit the city, and so for three days the building was actually shut down. It was then that two things happened to Robin: she received a terrible cold, and the word from Sakaki had been passed down to her—the group was about to meet again. Instead of his house, this time it would be in an empty warehouse, which happened to be near the Factory. From the way the message was given, Robin had deduced that this time they would actually be breaking inside of it. The whole thing was rather daring—but it was a risk she was willing to take.

First though, it was back to training. Sakaki had insisted that they would wait for one more day of practice to sharpen the skills that may have dulled slightly after the long break.

She walked into Amon's classroom with the determination to start practicing immediately. She sneezed suddenly from her sickness.

"You have a cold." He murmured from his desk. Amon looked at her over the computer screen. "You should…see a doctor for that. Around here, it can become serious if not treated."

Robin smiled gently. "Thank you—I will." She gave a slight nod and he went back to his typing.

"Robin, come on!" Yuma shouted to her from the training equipment area. "Let's start practicing already!"

"Okay, I'll be there in a moment…" She turned back to Amon. This was as good of a time as any. "Amon, I need to talk to you about…something…"

He looked up from the screen again, and Robin noticed his expression had shifted a little. "Yes?"

She wrung her fingers within her hands for a small moment. "Um…well, you see-"

And at that precise moment, his cell phone rang. He gave her a quick look that was meant to say 'we can continue the conversation after this call if you want' but Robin sadly shook her head and walked over to the other end of the room.

* * *

"We're going to try it tonight." Yuma whispered to her. "Sakaki said this is the perfect day for it—the budget manager will be stopping by to inspect things, so security will be pretty busy focusing on that. Are you ready, Robin?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I still can't believe, really, that we're going to do this…"

Yuma shrugged. "It'll be worth it—to find out finally what's in the Orbo, I mean…"

Robin began to set up her customized candles. That was what she had been using for her practice equipment. "…What time will it all start?"

At this point Kazuko and Tsutomu had walked up to them. "I hear we'll be going over to the Factory right after Sakaki finalizes everything." Tsutomu whispered. "And that should be when training ends and everyone has arrived."

"Some people might back out." Kazuko added. "After all, if you're caught in the Factory…" His voice trailed off. He didn't need to finish.

Robin's eyes swept around the room. Roughly half of the craft users in the room knew about what was to happen. All in all, there was herself, Kazuko, Yuma, Tsutomu, Steven, Maeko, Kazumi, Elijah, Atsutane, and Melissa. Each were very handy with their crafts in different aspects. For the most part, they appeared to be confident in their capabilities—but the Factory was not to be underestimated. Therefore, they were still on edge.

"At any rate," Tsutomu said, "We should try to keep our minds off it until then and concentrate on our training instead. Agreed?" The other three nodded solemnly and turned to their respective practice equipment.

But Robin had remained worried. Somehow, in some way, something was bound to go wrong…

* * *

She was at home, in the comfort of her familiar surroundings. After talking to her grandfather for a little bit, Robin ate the dinner with him. She was just finishing up cleaning the dishes, when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" She called. But Juliano had already dozed off in his seat. Robin shook her head, and, upon opening the door, gave a sudden gasp.

"A…Amon!" Her eyes widened, and in her shock she almost closed the door on him. "What-!"

"-No time." He looked around the front yard suspiciously and then went inside. "I need to tell you something…before it's too late."

She studied his expression—it was serious enough. "Yes?"

He leaned against the wall. "I know what it is that Sakaki and Doujima are planning. But I don't think that any of the other STN-J staff members know…yet. I overheard them talking together in the hallway. For all I know, Zaizen might have heard about it as well. If he did, you would be quick to realize it when breaking into the factory. For your own sake, you and your group should not go in there." His eyes softened, saying 'I don't want you to get hurt.' It was only for a second, but Robin had perceived it nonetheless.

She gave a slightly anticlimactic sneeze. "…Fever." She whispered hoarsely. She blew her nose with a handkerchief before answering. "…Why didn't you go directly to Sakaki instead of meeting with me?"

"Because-" Amon stopped himself. He stared at the window for a moment. A raven flew by.

Normally Robin was quite excellent at perceiving feelings, but for him she could not. 'Could it be…?' But she stopped herself from finishing that thought—it was not possible, after all.

"…Because he will not listen to me." Amon finished. "I am a member of the staff and work with Zaizen. I cannot be trusted. But you are a student, and a fellow comrade. He is more likely to listen to you than me."

Robin thought about this for several moments, and then managed to mutter an "oh" from her lips. Amon looked at her for a while, expecting more, but she said nothing.

He cleared his throat. "…Well then, if I will have your assurance that you'll tell him, Robin, then I'll leave now."

"Amon…" She whispered suddenly. "It…it needs to be done. We need to find out…who…and why…to Sakaki, it's worth the risk."

He stared at her. "No, it's not. It's not worth your life."

"Well, I will talk to him, at least."

He nodded, and then left somewhat reluctantly. She stared out the window quietly. The raven was gone.

* * *

"Is everyone here?" Sakaki tapped against the desk sharply with his knuckles. "Quiet everybody, quiet."

Gradually the chatter died down and everyone looked up at him.

"…Good. Now then, like I was saying, is everyone here? Doujima, give a quick head count, okay?" She nodded happily.

'This'll be a good time to talk to Sakaki.' Robin thought. She slipped away from her friends and walked over to him. She sighed. 'Well, here goes nothing…' "Sakaki?"

He looked up at her. "Oh. Yes, Robin?"

She glanced at the ground. "Um, well I think there's something that you should probably know…"

His expression remained unchanged. "Yeah?"

"Well…you see, I have good reasons to believe that Zaizen knows what we're up to. If it's true, we're in trouble."

His eyes narrowed. "Yes, he'd be the last person I want to know about it…this isn't good…" Sakaki scratched his chin for a moment. "…Tell me Robin, who told you this? Or did you discover it yourself?"

She bit her lip. "I found out myself."

"…Interesting." He replied. Then he smiled suddenly. "Well, try not to worry, Robin! We'll be extra careful now." He turned to leave.

Robin shifted uncomfortably. "But-" She stopped herself. Sakaki was no longer listening, and was already back with Doujima, who had finished the head count just now. She sighed, and waited for the rest of the time with her friends.

* * *

The air was very cool. Fortunately there had been no snow so far. They crept along some hedges and soon, all twelve of them were face-to-face with the Factory's doors. Earlier on they had been handed the uniforms used by the Factory for the vans that would take the witches. Robin still wasn't entirely sure how they had managed to get these, but she supposed either of them had the right connections they needed. In any case she thought it best not to ask questions about it.

"Dock Number Three." Sakaki whispered to them. "One of the guards is usually asleep and the other had only been here for two days. Easy." He nodded to Doujima. "This should be in your area, Doujima."

She winked. "Yep! Just leave it to me, everyone!"

They walked over to the said dock while trying to look as unsuspicious as possible (which was one of the hardest tasks in of itself—Factory van drivers, after all, didn't normally group by the dozen). Once they reached their destination, Doujima coolly strolled up to the guards for the gate. As predicted, one was asleep. She smiled politely at the other, even though it could not be seen directly from the mask.

"Excuse me? Helllooo!" She called brightly. The guard that Sakaki had mentioned about earlier was indeed new. He sat up and looked at them from behind the window curiously.

"Er, sorry about my partner over here." He apologized. "Anyways, what d'yall want? A dozen van drivers, this is unusual…"

"There have been several calls for us tonight." She answered sweetly. "We need to report in now."

He nodded. "Okay, just give me some sort of security clearance…"

"Right!" Doujima fished around in her pockets. "Here you are." She handed him some sort of card. Robin mused for a second about how Doujima could have possibly obtained such a thing.

"…Guess it checks out. You can proceed inside." He looked at the rest of them. "I'll have to see some ID from them, too…"

Doujima's manner had changed abruptly. "Look, we don't have _time _to go through everyone, okay!? Are you new here or something!? Zaizen needs to speak with us _right _away! It's very important that we speak to him immediately!"

The man blushed the type of blush that could have only come from a person new on the job. "Z-Zaizen—I…I didn't mean…g-go on ahead, then…" He lifted a lever and everyone hustled inside.

* * *

"Okay everyone, we can take our suits off now." Sakaki mumbled through the hallway. They nodded and gradually peeled off all the material from it. Robin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay everyone, here's the plan…" He pulled out a piece of paper. "This is where we are." Everybody crowded around as he pointed to a spot. "There should be an elevator up ahead and to the right. It'll take us underground—where all the _real _activity takes place. I think we'll need to make two trips for all of us. I will go in one and Doujima in the other. There we'll discuss the next step of our operation. Alright?" Everyone nodded. A chill ran up Robin's spine suddenly. "…Good. Move out!"

They raced down the hallways and soon came to the intended elevator "It's too easy." Robin said aloud. "There must be some reason for this. We haven't even seen anyone in the hallways."

"Remember Robin, the budget manager is coming over here." Yuma whispered to her. "Everybody around here will be busy from that."

"Yes, but…still…" Robin sighed. "We'll see."

Yuma stared at her. "Hey, cheer up! You're acting like we're in trouble already!"

"We already are." She mumbled under her breath.

Sakaki stopped in front of the elevator. "Okay, I'll go first, with…Maeko, Tsutomu, Steven, Kazuko, and Melissa. Doujima can take Kazumi, Atsutane, Robin, Yuma, and Elijah. Everybody hear that? Once we reach the bottom, I'll pull out the map and we'll go from there."

He punched the down button and the respected people he mentioned filed in. Once again a wave of uneasiness settled into Robin. She glanced down the hallway. After a few minutes the elevator came back up. Doujima nodded to them and they went inside.

"This way."

Sakaki had led them down the corridor. Soon they came face to face with a huge, bolted door. He scanned his eyes among them.

"…Tsutomu." He murmured finally. Tsutomu gulped and stepped forward nervously. "Tsutomu, I trust you'll be able to break that door down." Sakaki smiled.

He glanced at it. "…Yeah, I think I can." He walked over to it and pressed his hand to the door gently. Suddenly, three powerful waves shot out and contorted the bolts that held it together. They broke off easily.

"Good work!" Sakaki said excitedly. "Now here we go." He pushed the door open, and upon doing so, an alarm went off somewhere. He swore angrily and turned to them. "Hurry, we don't have much time! Grab whatever you can and get out of here!"

They scrambled around. It was a lab, and there wasn't any witches or scientists in it. Just papers, machinery, and chemicals in little tubes. Robin spotted an old notebook to the side and grabbed it quickly. "Let's go!" Sakaki cried.

"Where!?" Melissa shouted.

"There is another way out of here! It's a secret escape route in case of an emergency! C'mon, I'll show you!" They nodded and ran out of the room.

They flew into what appeared to be a closet, when in reality it was a large chute-type exit. "Kazumi, some light." She nodded and suddenly the place was full with it. "Atsutane, create a barrier around us. This might turn into a rough ride." An instant later there was a clear barrier formed around them. "Okay everyone, hang on…" Sakaki punched in some buttons and they flew up.

* * *

"…You're really lucky, you know."

The chute had led them about a quarter of a mile outside of the Factory, and the group had quickly dispersed. "We'll meet later! Bring everything you found!" Sakaki had shouted to them before everyone had disappeared. Robin ran up the hill, and found him waiting there. Somehow, they both knew.

"I can't believe how well planned out they had everything. We managed to find some data to bring back." She smiled.

But his frown had remained there. "You were almost caught."

Robin sighed. She didn't want to see him half-heartedly scold her like this. Suddenly, she sneezed. "S…Sorry." She reached for her handkerchief.

"…Here." He handed her a clean one from his pocket. He opened his mouth, as if deciding whether to say something. She looked at him expectantly.

"…I have a friend who had an effective recipe for such colds like yours. It's not too far from here. Have you ever heard of a place called Harry's?"

* * *

Review Responses:

My-Immortal666: Yep! You will see a LOT of it in the next chappy, promise!

Artistsdream2004: Thanks! That's been the general idea, lol…

Haruya: Ahhh, don't kill me…well there was a small amount of fluffage in this chappy but for a lot there will be in the next one!

Wake-Robin: Arigato! Hope you'll be able to read more!

Yuna of Paradise: Oh man, my favorite anime…I really can't decide, they're all good in their own respects. But if I HAD to pick one, that would go to Rurouni Kenshin, because Kenshin's such a sweetie.

Trekgirl01: Yes, of course there will be! =D

Gundamwinggirl: Yep, the big fluff chapter will be the next one!

Goth Musician: Haha, I guess I did…well I suppose everyone knows her, especially since she just came out of the hospital, lol…

Chii-chan: Haven't heard from you in awhile! Thanks for reviewing!

Yuna of Paradise (again): Ew, cousins? Sorry, I don't wanna think about that…

DenimGirl: Hehe yeah I always thought they make a great couple from watching the show.

Waterdevil: I can help you actually. Go to my webpage and there's a nice little tutorial on how to make a good fanfic with lots of reviews. You should go take a look!

Seed-of-Flame: lol, don't worry! Amon and Robin will get together soon enough! =D

Speaker for Psychopaths: Haha yeah a lot of people seemed to like that chapter…I agree too, summer jobs suck…

FlaminIcePendulum: Heh heh, I had no idea about that! Thanks for explaining, though I don't think I'll be using that term…

lurid-eyes: Well I hope a week is fast enough…

theUniverseBeyond: Aw! I hope your mom makes a fast recovery! And yeah, I like the whole Sakaki/Doujima thing. Hehehe. =D

deadly-kiss: Hehehe, I take it you like the story so far?

Well that's all for now. MAJOR FLUFF IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! I promise!!! And I'll try to hurry up the next update too, though it won't be easy. But I'll try! Anyways, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


	13. The Frozen Barrier Melts

Hi all of my wonderful readers/reviewers, Vira's back and ready to post some fluffage! Hehehe. First though, some A/Ns:

1) Do I really have to say it!? I don't own WHR!

2) Yes yes yes, as promised, this is the major fluff chapter! I know I made you guys wait a long time for it (though there WAS that one chapter in the cold room…hmm…) so anyways, here it is at last!

3) Vira is sad! One of her great admirers on FF.net had her account deleted—Youkai Yume! If you guys could be reeeeally nice to me, you'd review for her stories, which mainly include Inuyasha ones, but also a [very] good WHR one! The poor thing, one of her stories had 2000 reviews, and now it's all gone! Her new name is Youkai no Yume I believe. If you do, the next chappy will have an extra amount of fluff! Promise! =D

…Guess that's all. Anyways, as promised, here's the fluffy chapter for all of my dear readers. Hope you like it:

* * *

_Secrets cannot be held to silence for very long. The longer a secret is kept, the greater the urge to say it. Sometimes we don't want it to be known, but deception can be a great burden. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

They closed the doors to his car simultaneously. Amon felt around in his pockets for the keys, found them, and started the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and began the drive to Harry's. It was a quiet ride for the most part, with the exception of the sneezes from Robin occasionally. He pulled into the right of the place after a few minutes and unlocked the doors. "We're here." She nodded and they got out together.

"This looks like a very nice place to eat." Robin commented upon a short observation of the restaurant's outside. "Although, judging by the number of cars in the parking lot, not too many people go here…"

Amon shook his head. "Not many know about this place—Harry is a very modest person and will never advertise. Besides, dinner hours ended a while ago. Customers don't normally come at this time of the night."

"Oh, I see." She nodded in comprehension. Amon led her into the restaurant. He motioned for her to come sit at the stools with him, where Harry himself was standing. He smiled to her gently

"My my my, Amon…I must say this is unusual for you. And what's your name, ma'am?" Harry looked at Robin with friendly eyes.

"Rob-" She sneezed suddenly and quickly took out her handkerchief. "Robin. My name is Robin." She blushed slightly and, after blowing her nose, tucked it back into her pocket.

"Ah, you are beautifully named, Robin. A robin's eggs have, perhaps, a similar color to your eyes." Amon smiled next to her as she giggled a little. Harry always _was _a bit of a poet. "Now then, we need to get you some of my homemade tea for that sneeze of yours. A young lady such as yourself shouldn't have to go around with a cold. I'll make some right away." Harry turned around to begin preparing it.

"Her eyes widened a little. "Oh—oh, that's okay, I didn't bring any money…"

"This cup is on the house." He replied. "A new friend of Amon's always deserves at least one free drink here." Harry winked at her.

She sneezed again. "…That's very kind of you, then. Thank you."

"It's no trouble…" He poured some water into a container to boil. "Anything for you, Amon?"

"I'll have the usual, Harry."

"Excellent. Everything will be ready in about ten minutes." He began to grab a few ingredients from the shelves.

As he was doing this, Amon turned to her and asked, "You have no cuts on your body from the Factory, right? I have heard rumors that some of the chemicals used there is fatal if administered through the blood system."

Robin shook her head. "No, I'm fine. The only thing I brought back from the Factory at all was the notebook I found…"

"The notebook…" Amon's eyes flashed at a sudden thought. "…Robin, go and find it in the car. It should be unlocked. I have just thought of something suddenly." She looked at him curiously for a moment, and then stood up to leave.

"Okay."

Once she was gone, Amon looked back at Harry. He was smiling knowingly.

"At first, I did't completely understand when you first told me, Amon…" Harry gazed out the window and saw her walk over to his car. "…But now that I have seen her, I see why."

Amon was amused. "I'm glad that you approve of her, Harry."

His brow narrowed with thought. "But there is still something about Robin that I can't quite place my finger on. I believe she may have a gift, Amon…and I fear it may evolve into something much more powerful than she will be able to control."

"Robin is not weak."

"No, I don't think she is. But then again, neither was…my son…" Something caught in his throat suddenly, and he turned away.

"Here it is!" Robin called to them at the front door. "I found it." She walked over to them and set it down on the counter. Amon inspected it closely. The edges were faded—it looked to be a decade or two old. The spirals for the notebook were rusted, and several pages were torn. He leafed through it carefully. Eventually he got to a sort of title page, which simply read:

**Project: Memory Reconstruction**

**Solomon Experiment # 17**

**Trial B**

**Test Subjects 0030 – 0059**

**Lead and funded by Solomon, Japan. The following information and all data collected are strictly confidential. Only those with sufficient privileges within Solomon may read any classified data from within.**

"Very interesting." Amon murmured. "But what does it mean?"

"Memory Reconstruction? For who?" Robin stared down at the first page with puzzlement.

Amon closed the book suddenly. His face had gone white. "Let's try to not worry about it right now. Here's your tea, Robin."

Harry had placed her tea-filled cup down and smiled. "…There you go, Miss Robin. This should take your cold away soon after drinking it." She smiled gratefully and thanked him. "And for you, Amon…" Harry handed him a small mug. "Your coffee, the way you normally like it."

"Thanks." Amon took it in his hand and drank some down calmly. He glanced over at Robin—she was sipping hers in the most delicate of ways. 'You don't have to be so polite in front of Harry and I,' he thought.

"Well, I'm going to start cleaning the kitchen for the night." Harry said to them. He smiled at Robin one last time. "It was very nice to meet you, Miss Robin. You should come back some time. I'll be looking forward to it if you decide to."

Robin beamed happily. "You're very kind, Harry. Thank you, I think I will."

He nodded politely to them one last time, and then disappeared through a door to the back. This left Amon and Robin in an uncomfortable silence. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and by doing so, something became momentarily stuck in his throat. There it was again…her smile—the one that made him genuinely feel…something inside. He STILL couldn't explain it. Amon quickly drank down some more coffee to force the feeling back.

"You…okay, Amon?" Robin was looking at him now. "You're not, um…choking, right?" She took the mug from his hands, and for a split second, their fingers had touched. Both immediately retracted from it, and they looked away from each other. 'Her skin…so soft…' The tenderness of it had quickly transformed into a plague, and in no time at all, it had engulfed his skin. It ran up his spine lightly, making him ache in misery. Finally, it reached his heart and began to caress it in the gentlest of ways. But that was only the beginning of what was to come, as he would later find out.

"Robin…" He whispered. "I can…take no more…" Amon clutched his chest.

She blinked. "Huh? Did you say something, Amon?"

He straightened up from the stool. "Are you finished with your tea? We should go now, Harry will be closing shortly."

She glanced down at the mug on the counter while he put down some money. "But—shouldn't you at least finish your coffee first?"

"…Forget it. I don't need the rest, anyways. C'mon Robin, I'll take you home…" He reached for his coat, but she laid a hand down on his arm. The same feeling tore at his heart, and he looked back at her questioningly.

"…Please, not just yet. There's still something that I need to show you." Robin looked up at him with asking eyes.

His stance loosened. "…Fine. But both of us need to go to the STN-J tomorrow…if you haven't forgotten."

She nodded eagerly. "Oh—I know, I know. Thanks, Amon." Then with the arm that she was still grabbing, Robin pulled him towards the door. "Well let's hurry then! Come on Amon, let's go!"

* * *

They got into the car quickly. Amon had a funny feeling about the whole thing, but he figured by now Robin was trustable. He started the car and she began to tell him the way there. Robin blushed a little. "It's not that far, really. I passed it one day while I was riding downtown. We'll see it soon enough."

'What am I _doing_?' Amon kept repeatedly asking himself. 'Why am I going through all of this? Just take her home—both of you have seen enough adventure for one night.' But still…he had continued to humor her. He couldn't help but feel a little curious, and also a little regret if he didn't allow her to show them wherever she had in mind.

"Now turn left here. It's up a hill. We'll be coming up to it soon."

"Okay." He turned the steering wheel and inched further to whatever their destination was. Sure enough, they soon were approaching a hill to the left. Amon looked at it curiously. "Is that the one?"

Robin nodded. "Yes. You can pull up over there and park your car at that spot." She pointed to it.

He sighed. "I don't understand…there's nothing here."

She smiled. "There will be. You'll see soon enough."

Amon grumbled under his breath. He didn't have the _time _for things like this. 'I have to get up early. An instructor's morning requires far more time than a student's does. If I'm lucky now, Zaizen won't notice if I look more tired than usual. After all, his theory has always been that a tired instructor translates to less attention on the students, which-'

His thoughts were interrupted by a sweet giggle from Robin, which immediately caused all thoughts of sleeping late to fly away from his mind. "You can shut off the car now, Amon. We're here."

He mumbled his sudden realization to this and shut off the engine. "Okay, now show me whatever this whole thing is about." His voice held a hint of skepticism behind it.

"Right!" Robin leaned into her seat and pulled out the notebook that they had examined earlier. "I'll be needing this…okay, let's go!"

They climbed up the hill together. Amon had wondered silently how Robin could manage climbing the hill, which was rather steep, while wearing the long dress of hers. One thing was for sure—he could never manage to do the same in a million years.

Once they reached the top, he looked around. From here, you could see the majority of the city. The lights below were greatly shimmering before his eyes, and people were small shapes. Best of all though, the stars were much clearer up here, and the full moon shone down upon them. Combined with the lights of the city, stars, and moon, they could see very clearly. It was a beautiful place to be.

He turned to Robin and could tell she was looking at it all as well. "…Now what?" He coughed lightly.

She blinked and jumped a little, as if his voice had suddenly broken her away from some kind of spell. "Oh! Uh…right, right." Robin bent down and opened the notebook to a certain page. "I remember seeing this symbol while you were leafing through it earlier." She explained. "…And I think that I can use it for my craft, I've seen it before in my studies. Now…"

Robin felt around, and finally picked up a stick. She drew a quick, perfect symbol that was exactly identical to the one in the book. After looking it over and nodding in satisfaction, Robin pressed her hand on the very top of it. The markings began to glow. She stood. "Now watch…" Her eyes lit up suddenly, and a flame appeared in front of them. It hovered there, and, much to Amon's amazement did not go out. He saw Robin's lips move, and he realized that she was uttering a chant. Suddenly, the flame had double, and then doubled again—only this time, they were four different colors: a pure white, a cool green, a sparkly blue, and a rich red. In a blink of an eye they continued to multiply.

"They represent the four elements." Robin whispered. "Wind…Earth…Water…and…"

"…Fire." He said. She nodded. "But what's the whole point of this? What are you going to show me?"

Robin simply smiled. "You'll see, Amon." At this point there was about 24 of them. She uttered another part of the chant, and they began to move. The flames flew joyously around them in perfect symmetric circles. The sky danced with colors of red, blue, green, and white. Soon they were only ribbons that sparkled brightly under the moonlight. Then, to Amon's great surprise, all 24 merged into one, and it exploded silently with small bursts that appeared to be more beautiful than fireworks.

Amon gazed around him in wonder, and then looked back at Robin. "Robin, this is amaz-"

And suddenly, to his surprise, she stumbled down a little. Thoughts of fear quickly raced through his mind, and Amon reached out to catch her. "Robin! What's wrong?" He steadied her but did not let go yet.

She smiled, and relief washed over him. "S-Sorry." Robin breathed. "I guess that spell was a little more powerful than I thought it would be. But I'm fine now." As she was lifting her head up, the top of her face had accidentally brushed against the line between his shirt and his neck. Amon sucked in his breath—once again the softness of her skin had pierced his soul and buried deeply into his heart. This time, however, Amon could fully appreciate the fragrance of her hair up against him. It filled his nostrils and he quickly became intoxicated by her smell. But it was Robin's eyes that did it. She looked up at him innocently, and then smiled.

"Robin…" He muttered. "Stop it…before…before…"

"Don't try to fight it." She answered, her warm whispers caressing his heart. "I _will _break the ice away." Amon looked at her with curious inquiry. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, as if Robin had just cast her flame upon him. The blaze from her eyes had consumed him in an instant. Amon felt it move further and further inside of his chest, and, as he gazed strongly into her eyes, the cold barrier around his heart had gradually melted away from the power of Robin's flame, and a gentle warmth had replaced it. His hand moved up slowly, hesitantly, and pulled her neck closer.

She gasped a little, and looked up at him with surprise. "A…Amon?" His thumb had tenderly traced her jaw line, then captured some of her strands and stroked them gently. She stared at him in shock. "Your face…it's different somehow…"

And indeed, his brow had softened considerably from the new warmth that he felt in his heart. And he had Robin to thank for that. Amon pulled her closer to him suddenly. She gasped—their faces were so very near. "Robin…" He breathed. "…You're wonderful…" Amon smiled full and true for the first time in years.

And then, he kissed her.

He felt her suck in her breath in shock as his lips pressed against hers in the most lightest of ways. Amon drew her even closer while continuing to gratefully feel her mouth. But Robin made no movement. 'Please.' He pleaded silently. 'Please don't tell me this was a mistake.'

Amon broke his lips away from hers and looked intensely down at her. "Robin, I don't care if you're my student and I'm your instructor. I don't…I don't, so…" He looked at her in misery. "What's wrong?" Amon grasped her hand firmly close to his chest, and he knew that she could feel how rapidly his heart was beating.

Her eyelids fell down halfway. "…I know." She answered. "And, what of Touko? If she is yours instead…"

Relief washed over him—so _that _was it, Robin didn't know that he had already broken up with Touko long ago. He smiled again. "We've been through for a long time now, there's no need to worry about that."

"Oh." Her manner had eased considerably, and she fell limp against him. "Amon..."

Amon chuckled a little. "…Anything else you wish to know?"

She giggled, and buried her head into his warm chest, which he was more than happy to allow her to. "…No, I suppose not."

"…Good." Amon lifted Robin's chin up gently, and his lips had found their soft home once more. She gasped again—something that he was growing to enjoy. Hesitantly, Robin brought her hand up to his face and caressed his cheek with sweet fervor. Her other hand rested against his shoulder and rubbed the muscle there compassionately. This caused Amon to flood her lips with his own, and waited until she couldn't breath. When Robin gasped for air, her lips parted, which was his opportunity to open them wider and caress the soft inside. Both were in a burning bliss as the light from the flame fireworks that Robin had made slowly died down into the coolness of the night.

* * *

Review Responses:

Wake-Robin: Why thank you! =D Amon does a good job with warning her, hehe.

My-Immortal666: Yes yes, fluff! I hope it was enough!

Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Arigato, hope you will enjoy this one as well!

Yuna of Paradise: Hahaha, all of my cousins are younger than me, save one—and I also have only one female cousin. It sucks, I tell ya…

The Teen Witch0043: Erm, well I don't know really…it's just that, in the show, Amon acts like a sort of mentor for Robin even though he doesn't really care, and I kind of pulled it all together from there. I'm making a lot of this up as I go along, believe it or not! =D

Haruya: Teh yay, evil forks are avoided! Success! Well I really really hope you like the fluff in this chappy! And thanks for explaining the recommend thing, that's kind of weird, because it doesn't appear to be doing anything. :/

Goth Musician: Aw, you missed it too huh? Well I guess that kinda sucks for both of us, lol. Anyways, I'm glad you liked it so much!

Aisling Niamh: Huh? Amon and Laundry!? Lol…

dragon's lair: Hehe, I'm glad you liked that!

Seed-of-Flame: Aw poor thing, you missed the shows too…well here's some fluff to make it better! =D

Ein: Haha what a cool name…anyways, I can't say I'm a big fan of Tsume's pants myself. Granted, he's hot and everything, but there IS such a thing as too low, if you know what I mean…lol.

Sesshoumarusgirl123: Why thank you! Here's a nice update for you then…

theUniverseBeyond: Yeah I'll explain it later on, if I remember to that is…heh.

BlackRose321: YES, Amon's character is insanely hard to do. I mean, you never know WHAT the guy is thinking! I wish they would give me something to work with in the show, lol.

Amon's Angel of Darkness: WOW. You now hold the record for the longest review in one of Vira's stories. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Now I know what happened, and Vira = happy. Anyways, no, Sakaki and Doujima don't work for Solomon. Yes, we'll see more of Nagira later on. I'm not sure at the moment what I'm going to do with Michael, but he'll appear again in the story. Amon knew where to find her…because he just did, lol. Yes, Zaizen will know. Yes, they'll take another trip to the factory. Yes, Amon has a [very vague] idea of what the Orbo does. Any more questions? Lol.

Trekgirl01: Yeah I sorta did do that intentionally. I dunno why I did, but I think it was kind of a cool effect. =D

EmpressJudge: Haha I don't know whether that's good or bad…maybe I'll know for sure in this chapter?

Row: Lol, that's okay, I really don't mind…well I hope you'll be able to read this update!

Anime/Manga Fanatic: Well don't forget Koga! But yeah I agree, I wish Inuyasha would just choose already…well thanks for the info about the DVR, and who knows, I may get it in the future…

crazy spiderman fan: Oh my, I certainly wouldn't say it's the _best_…but thank you, I hope you'll be able to read the update, then.

Speaker for Psychopaths: Lol, I don't think I'd say that patience is one of your virtues! =D I understand though, all of you have been waiting a long time for some good fluff…hope you really liked it.

Momola: Hehe, I updated on the same day you reviewed! Here's some nice fluff for ya!

Phew, that took a long time. Anyways, tell me what you think! Did I do a good job with the fluff? Was it enough to satisfy some of your fluffage needs? I know to some of my reviewers, you can NEVER have enough fluff…hehehe. Well the last scene will continue on to the next chappy, so stick around! And don't forget to review the stories for Youkai no Yume! Anyways, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


	14. The Vision Of Truth

I'm back again, everybody! How have you been? I'm glad to see that some many liked my last chappy of this story. To your happiness probably, here's some more fluffiness! First though, a few A/N:

1) Like I always say, if I were to own WHR I would've changed the ending! A LOT! So yeah, don't own it.

2) I've seen commercials on Adult Swim that WHR will be taken off the air on Saturdays. Can I get a confirmation from someone about this? And does anyone know if it'll be put back on again soon? I'll be lost without it!

3) There will be a scene in the beginning of this chappy that is really cute. I won't ruin anything if you haven't begun reading it yet, but I am happy to inform you that I have made a little fanart based off this scene! It's true! Is it bad? Yes. Could it be worse? Yes. Did Vira spend a minimal amount of time drawing it? Yes. Is she bad at drawing cars? Yes. Is the light/spotlight thing on it done on purpose? Yes. Is it cute? I seem to think so! Anyways, to see it, go to my homepage in my profile and click on the link to fanart. If you ask me, the world needs more fluffy pictures of Amon and Robin! Help the cause! Draw some for me! (preferably with Amon shirtless) XD

Yeah, so that's all. The following fluffy chapter is dedicated to ALL disappointed WHR fans that hated the ending on the last episode and wish something would've happened between Amon and Robin, if only a little something. Hehe. Anyways, here it is!:

* * *

_Emotions can be shown in so many different ways. A kiss...or a slap. A smile...or a frown. Each can express all feelings bottled up inside. Some, however, choose more complicated ways to show emotions. More may be conveyed. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Amon had fumbled for the keys in his pocket with great difficulty. Somehow they had managed to sluggishly walk down the hill while their lips remained locked to feverishly express their newly discovered feelings. Neither wanted to let go, and so Amon had quickly realized that it was nearly impossible to simply open the locked car door while Robin was doing a good job of distracting him by running her fingers through his hair. In order to momentarily halt her journey in his strands, Amon diverted her concentration away by gently grazing his lips against her neck. This caused her fingers to freeze long enough for him to properly unlock the door. Once opened, he picked Robin up swiftly while still connected through their lips and actually leaned over to set her down on the other side carefully. As a silent comeback to this, Robin pulled him down with her, and so Amon half stumbled into the car while kissing Robin with fervor. As he allowed her to tenderly rub the manly whiskers on the far bottom of his chin, his mind had stuck to his goal, and he began to put the keys in.

Her grip tightened on him. "Amon...not yet..." She pleaded between kisses. She tore his hand away from the ignition so that, once again, his attention would be concentrated on her. "Please, not yet..."

"...I need to take you home." Amon's kisses had turned to quick and hard ones as he pushed Robin's head back further in the seat. "We can't stay here all night." Without warning he tore open her mouth suddenly and began to feast on all that was within. Robin practically clawed the back of his neck with surprise.

"...I don't care." She answered once the opportunity was given. She gladly opened her soft lips wider to allow him access to even more, which Amon readily took. She was...growing to enjoy the feeling, he knew. "I don't want to leave."

'Childish.' He thought. But deep inside, Amon knew that he didn't want to leave her either. He needed Robin in his arms right now more than anything else. He tried to pull away in order to answer her, but Robin tugged on his collar strongly to push him back up. 'Stubborn.' He thought as he chuckled a little and began to affectionately stroke a few strands of her hair. Finally Amon asked her, "What would your grandfather think?"

"He...well..." She ran her fingers softly down his cheek, which made him shudder. "I've already told you about his condition. I honestly don't think he would notice—he's probably asleep right now."

But still Amon would not let her convince him. In order to gain the upper hand of this argument, he gazed into her with his slate eyes intensely and pulled away suddenly. She cried out, and tried to frantically push him back to her, but he wouldn't allow it. Instead, Amon successfully inserted the key into its proper place and started the car. He smirked a little at his triumph and sat down on the seat properly with satisfaction.

"A...Amon..." Her eyes were shaded with the golden bangs that had fallen loose from her tight hairstyle during their burst of frenzied emotion. His heart quivered violently at the tone of sadness in her voice—he thought he had won this battle, when in fact, he hadn't at all. Without thinking twice, Amon reached over and put a reassuring arm around her shoulder. She sighed a little, and then fell to the side in order to lean against his chest, which he gracefully allowed her to, and even shifted around to give her more room. She was so...fragile. They talked a few moments, and she explained to him the reason why it would be best. Robin reached up slowly and caressed the side of his neck urgently. He bent his head down and kissed the top of her forehead while deciding what to do.

"...Alright." He muttered finally against her skin. "You win." Reluctantly, Amon started the car again. She smiled with relief and gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek. He jumped a little when he felt this touch, but quickly eased into her head.

* * *

His coat fell slowly to the ground after Robin had tugged it gently off his shoulders. After some more soft, deep kisses, Amon wrapped her inside of his arms protectively and gently nuzzled his face against Robin's neck from behind. He felt her shiver slightly at the feeling. As he stared affectionately at the slender figure intertwined in his arms, he realized just how dear Robin really was to him. 'I will always watch over you, Robin. I promise.'

She tugged on his hand anxiously. He nodded, and leaned down to caress the back of her neck with his gentle breath. In the end, Robin had won the argument, and now here they were, in his apartment instead. Both fully understood the severe consequences that would be made if they were to be seen, but that didn't matter right now. In one swift movement, Amon had picked Robin up and walked calmly into another room...his bedroom. He set her down carefully on the bed and was sure to arrange a pillow under her head in a half protective, half mindful sort of way. He was rewarded by a quick kiss on the lips—the kind of kiss that had left him wanting more. Reluctantly, Amon moved away from Robin in order to find an extra pillow (he normally had use for only one, of course) and an over-sized shirt that he had always kept, which could be given to Robin for the night.

As he was looking for these items, he stopped in the bathroom to wash his face. Amon looked at himself in the mirror, and was shocked to see the person staring back at him. No longer did he look so cold with a foreboding expression—instead, there was a gentle warmth evident in his eyes. He pressed his hand to the glass, as if to search for his old, familiar self...but it would not come. 'What did she DO to me!?' He asked himself while staring back at the face.

But he was tired, and Robin was waiting for him in the next room, and it didn't really matter now anyways. 'I will ask her in the morning.' He had quickly decided. As Amon took a step outside, he suddenly felt a new feeling plummet into his gut, and he knew that he was beginning to feel nervous in the severest of ways. No one else had ever spent a night in his apartment before...especially a female. Amon gulped in a feeble effort to swallow his fears, and walked slowly back to Robin.

His eyes widened, and he had immediately noticed that she had smoothed her hair out and let it fall gently down on either side of her shoulders. She smiled. "Hello, Amon."

Wordlessly Amon reached out and handed her the shirt. Robin nodded and took it, walked over into a different room to change. Amon waited politely by sitting on the bed thoughtfully.

He recalled the real reason she was here—true, they both wanted to be together, but there was more to it than just that. Back in the car during their debate on what to do, Robin had nervously reminded him that she had broken into the Factory not a few hours prior, and was almost caught. For all they knew, someone might've seen them. It was quite possible that the Factory had made inquiries as to where each member of the group lived. For this night at least, Robin was not safe. He would probably find out any information Solomon knew in the morning, but until then, they could risk Robin being alone in her house for the night. And so, he would watch over her for now, in his unsuspecting apartment. No one would ever think to search in a home where a worker under Zaizen lived. For the time being, Robin was safe.

Amon's thoughts were snapped away when he felt gentle arms wrap around his shoulders from behind. "…You're thinking about it again, aren't you?" She whispered softly into his ear. "…Don't. You look tired now, Amon—got to sleep for me."

Without turning around, he reached up and grasped her hand firmly. Contrary to what he appeared to be, Amon had little idea of what he should do next. Should he assure her everything as okay? Go to sleep? Ask her what happened in the Factory? He wasn't as strong as he looked. However, _she _didn't know that, and he wasn't about to leave her with doubts. Amon nodded to this with new determination and turned around slowly to face her.

He breathed in quietly and looked at her. "…Robin, I happened to glance at myself in the mirror while washing my face for the night. It…" He paused to study her expression. "That spell of yours…it must've been very powerful. I don't think I could go back to the way I was if I tried."

Amon could tell Robin was trying to desperately suppress a giggle, but it wasn't working too well. "Oh Amon…" She leaned forward into his chest and smiled. "…There never _was _a spell that I used on you. I just let my eyes give the impression that there was one. You only _think _I cast something onto you…and I allowed you to think that. Whatever happened to your face…you did that all on your own." She chuckled and gave him a small hug.

He sat there looking down at her, stunned. He didn't move or say anything for several moments, until finally Robin shook him gently. The realization of it all had hit him harder than he could have ever imagined. His own emotions for Robin that had been bottled up for so long was the reason why his feelings had crashed down onto her warm lips in that single moment above the city.

"…Amon? Are you okay?" Green eyes looked back at him questioningly.

He nodded slowly, and pulled her close. Without saying a word to her, Amon nudged Robin down very gently to lie on the bed. He reached down to pull the covers over her. Then, sitting up, he stretched on arm over his back and eased off his sweatshirt. The sudden coolness of the atmosphere felt good to him. He glanced back at Robin—she was looking at him with soft eyes. He was still wearing an undershirt, so she showed no signs of blushing. He smirked a little, and, after stretching all the happenings of the day away from his body, Amon moved next to her and slipped under the blanket. She smiled as she felt him near, and she scoot closer. They both knew the situation wasn't exactly innocent, but Amon felt it was natural to them, there under the sheets, like it was always supposed to be that way. She was…his missing piece, and now he found her.

Just before going to sleep, he slowly crept his hand next to hers and waited patiently. Sure enough, he felt Robin respond to the touch by edging her fingers hesitantly into his and laced them gently together. A smile passed Amon's mouth, and then he closed his eyes to enter a deep sleep.

* * *

_Strangely, it was the first time he had dreamt of anything in several years. He had completely forgotten what it was like. Or, maybe he had, but he would immediately forget about it in the morning. Strange…_

_In any case, he was dreaming tonight. The place was…odd, and had a different feel that he couldn't quite put his finger on. But it was something halfway between a sad coldness…and a foreboding fear. Amon looked around curiously for a moment of two, and then began to walk down the dark hallways. "Hello?" Echoes of his own voice answered him._

_Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Amon's hunting instincts took over and he leapt to a corner of a nearby door. The person came closer, closer, and then was gone. Amon peered out for a moment, then quickly followed whoever it was down the corridor. He or she pushed a door open, which Amon could see was labeled 'Storage Room 12'. Swift as lightning, he ran forward into it._

_The area was dimly lit—only the screens of several computers and one flickering bulb was the only things there. The person Amon had seen was a man. He moved over to a huge tube and pressed a button to drain it. As Amon studied closer, he realized that, to his horror, there was a person emerging from there. A woman. But not just ANY woman. His eyes widened with complete shock._

_It was his mother._

_The man proceeded to take off several wires and patches from her. She blinked a few times, and then looked around emotionlessly. She even looked straight at Amon—but there was no reaction from her. Rage fell upon him quickly. He ran over to punch the man and grab her away from him. But…his fist only went straight through his body. Amon blinked at it in confusion, then stood tall again in comprehension._

_"This is a dream." He whispered with realization._

_"I'm afraid you're going to be moved to another storage area." The man said to her harshly. "You will be going with the other experiments, understand?" She made no sign to show that she was listening, but the man didn't care, apparently._

_"I'm going to give you a shot now so you don't run away…" He took out a syringe full of some sort of drug. Amon's fists tightened within his gloves and he looked away until it was over. The man put it back into his pocket. In her weakened state, his mother fell down to the ground. Amon rushed over to help her up, but then he remembered that he couldn't, and his arms fell to the side with anger._

_"Now then," the man continued, "You stay here. I'm going to bring in the witch that will be your replacement here. The door will be locked until I come back, so don't try anything funny, you hear?" His mother coughed violently, which was a good enough answer for him. He walked away from her and closed the door behind him._

_Amon looked around to study his surroundings more. "Did he say a…witch? This can't be…" He glanced at his mother again. "…Yes, this MUST be it. This is where she went to…the Factory." He had never quite imagined that it would look like this—rather, an unclean place with old cobwebs, dimly lit corridors, and a disgusting musky smell everywhere._

_And what did the man mean when he said 'the other experiments'? Was his mother a part of a large test that the Factory was conducting? If so, what was it about exactly? And who for? Were there other witches involved as well?_

_Amon walked over to one of the desks where the man had left some papers before leaving. The words 'Project: Memory Reconstruction' caught his eye. Before he could read it through however, the man entered the room again suddenly and grabbed the paper from the desk. Amon scowled at him. As the man walked further into the light, Amon's breath hitched abruptly when he caught sight of the person the man had brought with him._

_"R…Robin!"_

_In the midst of his surprise he ran over desperately and inspected her face closer._

_No. It was not Robin._

_But the resemblance was too striking similar to be only a mere coincidence. The woman had longer hair and a face that was older than the Robin he knew. Could this person possibly be her…?_

_The man pushed the woman forward. "Sit here. Since I already gave you your shot we won't worry about that. I'm going to find some files so the transfer of rooms will be written up. And don't try anything funny you two, if you know what I mean. I'll be back soon enough, got it?" They nodded feebly. The man gave a 'hmph' of satisfaction, and then left._

_There was a deep silence in the room once the door was shut. It was…a chilling silence. Amon imagined that it was their surroundings that gave such a particular effect. Suddenly, his mother looked at the woman who had a resemblance to Robin. "You are expecting a child." She mumbled, groggy from the drug._

_The woman looked up at her in surprise. "Y-Yes! Am I starting to show it already?" She looked down at her belly._

_His mother smiled. "It's part of my craft. I can mold memories into how I see fit. Which is why they need me for part of the Solomon Memory Reconstruction Project. In fact, I'm recording this memory right now."_

_She scoffed. "Now? What is the use of preserving a memory here? We all wish to forget."_

_"…Yes. But this memory won't be for me to look back to. It will be for an outsider. Someone who can see the truth about what happens in here." She looked at her. "…I…I need you to do something for me. I don't have much time left—after this experiment is completed, they'll probably kill me."_

_Amon balled his fists tightly as he listened on to their conversation. Was this really how it happened? This wasn't really just a dream, he could tell. What was his mother trying to tell him? There was a message within this, he knew. Was it about the Factory? Amon listened on quietly._

_"Once I leave this behind, the memory will stop recording. I can place events of the past into material objects. In this case…" She reached a hand to her shirt and pulled out something from within. Amon's eyes widened in immediate recognition—it was the necklace that his mother was so very fond of. And…it was the same one that currently belonged to Robin. "Did she…?"_

_"I am placing my recorded memories inside of here. In a state of sleep a person may be able to see the small history that I am placing within. The truth may yet come out about witches and the Factory."_

_The woman nodded. "I understand now. But what do you want me to do?"_

_His mother sighed. "Yes, now this is where you come in. I want you to take this. I doubt there is any chance for either of us, but especially me since I will surely die after the experiment is over. However…there is still hope that you may be able to escape. Even if you don't, your child will still live. Therefore, when he or she is born, hand this off to him or her. Your child will be my hope." She handed the necklace off to the woman, who nodded solemnly. His mother sighed. "I only wish my son…I only wish I could say goodbye to my son."_

_The woman nodded again. "I'm sure it must be hard for you. What's his name?"_

_She smiled with wet eyes. "Amon."_

_Suddenly, the door burst open—the man had come back. "Don't forget now." She whispered quickly. "Make sure this necklace makes its way outside." The woman nodded and clutched it tightly. "Good. I'm going to stop the recording now. Goodbye."_

_As the man grabbed his mother by the arm and dragged her away, she gave one last confident look to the woman before she was gone. Amon tried desperately to run after here, but the further he ran, the more the world around him faded, until there was only darkness._

* * *

He woke up with a start.

After a moment or two of coming to his senses, Amon turned over to his side. Robin was there, awake, and looking at him with a frightened look on her face. "Amon? Are you awake now? You were mumbling some things loudly just now, and tossing back and forth."

He blinked slowly. "I…" He felt something in his hand suddenly. Upon opening his fingers up, he saw that he had been holding Robin's necklace while he was asleep. It was glowing a soft red, and once he let go, the small, vivid radiance died away.

* * *

Review Responses:

My-Immortal666: Hehehe, okay okay! Here's the next chapter for you.

ni9htdreame12: Arigato! When then I hope you will be able to read this update!

The Teen Witch0043: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

BlackRose321: Yeah I hate it when that happens! Lol, it's at the climax of the story and you wanna know what happens, but the author looses interest. Well I can assure you that's not going to happen with this story!

Trekgirl01: Haha I love Harry, he's like some sort of best adult friend that I've never had. Poor guy though, about his son and all…

FlamingIcePendulum: lol yeah, if only…

Tsukinoko1: Yes it's true they could've broken the windows, but the problem was that they were too small to climb through. And yes, fluff = cute. Hehehe.

Wake-Robin: Hahaha, another fan of that kiss I see! Well I'm glad you liked it.

Haruya: Yeah, things will become a little awkward (that's when people will start suspecting things, heh). I hope she'll pass the class now! =D

vegetasprincess1: lol yeah it was, wasn't it…

Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Hehe, fluff is definitely something to bow down to, especially with Amon and Robin!

Youkai no Yume: Hey, how'd you get here? Lol. I don't see what could be much worse than that, but if you say so! Then here's a nice update for you.

Yuna of Paradise: Yeah I think it's so cute that they don't care about their instructor/teacher relationship. Well I hope you like this chappy!

Sesshoumarusgirl123: OH yes, I wish very much so that would happen to me…XD

Ein: Yeah I did see that episode. I was sad when that guy said the flower maiden won't live very long, though.

Cat: It's my favorite too! =D I'm glad to hear you liked it!

Seed-of-Flame: Yep, fluff is good! Hehehe…

Gundamwinggirl: Yeah, more kisses! Lots more! More kisses is fun! XD

isis: Thank you. I hope you'll be able to read this update!

DarkPyroPlanet: Well she remembered it from her studies, and so she had the chant memorized. PICKLES!! Happy Vira, happy happy…

deadly-kiss: Glad to hear it!

Chii-chan: Really? I don't think I spelled it wrong or anything…well you can always do a search I suppose, right?

Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Yeah I definitely think this chappy is much more fluffier than the last one. Hehehe.

Kaidence: Good! Then here's a new chapter for you to read! =D

Speaker for Psychopaths: Yep yep, definitely more to come! I wouldn't leave you hanging like that, now would I? Lol.

Shawn Provoncha: Haha, yeah it sure was…that was everyone's favorite part!

Goth Musician: Ah, you're making me blush…well if it was the kiss you like, there's plenty more in this chapter! =D

Okay, that's all! I really hope you guys liked this chapter! To sum it up, fluffiness, mysterious pasts, nice feelings, and of course, Vira's fanart! Hehehe. Well, I'm done for now. R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


	15. The Separated Class

Here's another update for you guys. Did everyone have a good 4th of July? I had an okay one, but I was watching fireworks and my stupid brother accidentally knocked over the chair that my rings were sitting on while I was getting my bug spray, and now I'm one ring shy! =( Well anyways, A/N:

1) Don't own WHR! I wish I did though…

2) Vira's computer finally works again, and so I can update my website AT LAST! If you read the chapter updates through that method, then you may now continue to do so. It sure was a lot of work getting through the entire backlog, I'm telling you…

Yep, that's all for now. Anyways, here's the next installment. Hope you guys enjoy it!:

* * *

_Safety…the comforting word that gives many of us hope.__ Only through working together can a group accomplish a greater goal. Is there such a thing as a safe passageway? Only if we settle our differences first. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Robin had slept peacefully that night—except, of course, for the hour she was robbed of when she woke up suddenly upon hearing strange noises and felt movements on the mattress. She rubbed her eyes in a tired manner and slowly peered over to the side.

The sight she saw did not lift any of her worried thoughts away. "Amon?" He was tossing around slightly and uttering ineligible phrases. His expression did not ease her mind, either. It was a face of a deeply rooted despair. Robin tried to sit up in order to attempt to comfort him, but something was holding her back. She looked down, and realized suddenly that Amon had covered her necklace with his fingers in a tight grip. He uttered something again.

"Amon!" Robin cried. "Wake up, Amon!" She shook him gently.

His entire body cringed one last time before he abruptly woke up. After a moment or two of heavy gasps, Amon turned to look at her. She met his gaze with concerned eyes. "Amon? Are you awake now? You were mumbling some things loudly just now…"

He didn't answer immediately. Robin felt him look down to his hand, where he was holding her necklace. She saw his eyes widen, but it was gone almost immediately. Instead, he sat up and rubbed his forehead. "…How long have you been awake?"

"I've been watching you for about five to ten minutes. Were you…" She hesitated a little. "Were you dreaming?"

"I…" Amon stared out the nearby window with an emotionless expression. "…I don't know." Robin waited for him to give a more detailed answer, but he stood up and walked closer to the window. She sighed a little.

She decided to mention something else instead. "You were holding my necklace…"

"Yes." He whispered quietly. It was a blank statement that somehow gave rise to many more questions.

Robin's eyes faded into sadness. Was he going back into his protective shell? She didn't want him to hide his emotions from her anymore. Robin knew that just wasn't him. "You…you can tell me, Amon…"

His gaze turned slowly from the window and back to her. "Just a few moments ago, I saw my mother." Upon hearing this, Robin stiffened a little—it was only for a moment, but he caught this, and raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. She knew that he had undoubtedly perceived her reaction. Amon quickly strode over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He looked at her with an intense expression that could bend even the strongest vows of secrecy.

"Tell me all that you know about her."

Robin knew at once what had happened to him during sleep—he had seen what she had experienced as well—an event of his mother's past. 'No wonder he was tossing and turning so much…' Yes, that explained it, then. But what did Amon see exactly?

She nodded. "I'm afraid I don't know much. In fact, everything may be completely inaccurate, because I saw it in a dream." Robin thought for a moment. "…Is that what you saw just now, Amon?"

"It was more than a dream." Amon briefly explained what he saw and the purpose of the necklace she wore. Robin noticed that, with each word he spoke, Amon's face had little by little reverted back to the cold, protective mask he wore. She touched his hand gently, and to her relief, some of the warmth came back. But it wasn't enough. "Now tell me what you saw." He said to her.

"Oh, well…" She paused to remember it correctly. "It must've been years ago, because you were a lot younger, Amon…your mother answered the door, and people from the STN-J were-"

"-That's enough." He interrupted. "I remember now."

"…Oh, okay." Robin said quietly. "So…that's why we saw those past events? Because of the necklace and your mother's craft?"

"Yes. As she mentioned when I was listening to her, she had the ability to mold memories as she saw fit—sometimes into material objects."

"But…but I don't understand, why was she hunted? Her craft doesn't seem to be powerful enough to pose any real threat. It would be different if she could levitate things or any other craft, but…"

"…Her craft was more complicated than that. If my mother were to, for example, encounter an enemy, then she would automatically filter through all the memories of the person and pull out the bad ones. The enemy would struggle against his or her own conscious and could actually go insane from seeing the bad memories so many times. My mother was a good person, however, and didn't want to fight that way. However, it got to the point where she simply couldn't help using this mental attack—she lost all control of her craft. The STN-J soon realized this and was quick to hunt my mother down."

Before Robin could say anything, Amon added, "It's okay Robin, I don't want any sympathy. After all these years, I've gotten over the fact that she's gone. Besides…I know your mother was captured as well. So I suppose…we're the same in that aspect."

"My…mother…" She stood up suddenly with her back facing him. "Would you like me to make us some coffee?"

She could sense him glance at the clock. "It's still early enough for you to go back to sleep. Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's…fine." Robin walked out of the room solemnly and began taking out the materials needed to make coffee.

* * *

"Here you go, Amon. It's finished, but still a little too hot." She slid a cup of the coffee over to him, which he caught and took a slow sip despite her warning.

After a few moments, Amon told her casually, "When I saw my mother's memory…I managed to see a few papers with the title of 'Memory Reconstruction' on them. That's the same project as the one in the notebook you found, isn't it?"

Robin nodded. "Yes, that's right. I suppose you probably want to take a look at that notebook again?"

"Yeah. Maybe…she's mentioned in there."

"Okay." She stood up and walked over to the door of his apartment, where she had put it. After retrieving the notebook, Robin went back to Amon and opened it up. "Is there some sort of index somewhere? Or is it in no particular order?"

"I imagine that the experiments are listed in the order of their number…but I don't know what number she was." He began to leaf through it quickly in hope of finding the right person.

"There." Robin laid a finger towards the beginning of it. "There's a brief glossary here. Maybe we should use this." Together they silently read down the page of all that was there:

* * *

**Project: Memory Reconstruction **

**Experiment Trial B **

**Introduction: A Brief Explanation………………………………………………………………...Dr. Solomon**

**Hypothesis One: Waves………………………………………………………………………….....Dr. Black**

**Hypothesis Two: Telepathy………………………………………………………………………...Dr. Tamura**

**Hypothesis Three: Hypnosis………………………………………………………………………..Dr. Higoshi**

**Hypothesis Four: Inner Communication………………………………………………………..Dr. Miller**

**Hypothesis Five: Energy Channels……………………………………………………………….Dr. Kato**

**Experiments 0030 – 0059**

** Trial B1: Experiments 0030 – 0034 (Orbo: 1%)**

**Trial B2: Experiments 0035 – 0039 (Orbo: 4%)**

**Trial B3: Experiments 0040 – 0044 (Orbo: 7%)**

**Trial B4: Experiments 0045 – 0049 (Orbo: 10%)**

**Trial B5: Experiments 0050 – 0054 (Orbo: 13%)**

**Trial B6: Experiments 0055 – 0059 (Orbo: 16%)**

**B1 Craft Explained: Sight of the Past……………………………………………………………Dr. Higoshi**

**B2 Craft Explained: Sight of the Future…………………………………………………………Dr. Miller**

**B3 Craft Explained: Mind Reading………………………………………………………………..Dr. Tamura**

**B4 Craft Explained: Mental Tracing and Scanning………………………………………….Dr. Black**

**B5 Craft Explained: Control of Mind Waves…………………………………………………..Dr. Kato**

**B6 Craft Explained: Communication between Dimensions………………………………Dr. Solomon**

**Overall Results of Trial B**

**Conclusion**

* * *

"…What IS all of this?" She whispered after reading it fully. "And what does it mean?"

Robin looked over at Amon, and saw that he was thinking deeply. Finally, he said, "I did not know that there was a 'Solomon,' the person…whoever it is, he wrote the introduction. He was probably the one who led the whole project…very interesting…"

She peered down at the name mentioned twice of the paper. Yes, it WAS very interesting…it was too much of a coincidence to have the same last name. "Does this mean the 'Dr. Solomon' on this page is the same person who runs the company?"

"Probably." Amon took another sip of his coffee. "I wonder where he's been this whole time…he must live in seclusion somewhere."

Robin smiled faintly. "Perhaps. Or, the power of his enemies might've been too much…he could be dead."

He nodded as he continued to flip through the pages. "I'm not quite sure which category my mother would be under…she never talked about her power much to me, or describe it in detail…"

She bit her lip hesitantly. "Amon…does…um, does this mean there might be a chance that you've inherited her craft?"

Amon closed his eyes solemnly and sat very rigidly. "…I don't know. I really don't know."

Robin sighed inwardly. The last thing in the world she wanted was Amon to be hunted down just like his mother.

"I would like to borrow this, Robin." Amon closed the notebook suddenly and looked up at her. "Perhaps after reading through more if it, I'll be able to find out what happened to her during the experiment."

She thought for a moment or two. "Well, I don't know…Sakaki might call for another meeting at any given time, and he wants us to bring everything we found in the Factory to him…" She smiled. "…But I suppose you can have it for a few days."

His eyes widened. "You mean, you're actually going to go back into the Factory!?"

But before she could reply, they heard a loud noise suddenly in another room that sounded like a 'thump.'

"…What was that!?" Robin was completely startled.

"I don't know." He replied. Amon grabbed his gun from a nearby drawer, and closed it again.

Another noise was heard. She jumped a little. "Do you…do you think…the Factory?"

"Hopefully not." Amon began to inch little by little closer to the next room where the noise was coming from. "Stay behind me." He ordered. "Just in case it really IS the Factory…" Robin nodded and stood behind him. He swung open the door quickly and together they peered inside.

There was no one in the room.

"It was _someone_…I know it…" Amon began to move to the nearby closet in order to search it.

"Y-You mean…?" Robin looked out the window. There were no suspicious cars, as far as she could tell. 'Why would the Factory send only one person to capture me? Unless…a craft user?' Suddenly, something dawned onto her and Robin bent down to look under a table that was low to the ground. She saw him looking back at her with a frightened look. Robin smiled at him and stood up. "I've found the culprit, Amon…" She chuckled and pointed under the low table. "Look under there…"

Curiously Amon bent down and reached under the table to pull him out. An unhappy Osuin emerged from within and meowed. Robin petted him delicately and he gradually became less and less frightened.

"I forgot to let him go outside at night for the first time since he's been here." Amon mumbled. "So it was only _him_…" She saw relief wash over his face.

Robin giggled. "I guess so." Osuin purred softly in her arms. She stood up and opened a window to let him out on the floor of the fire escape. He gave her a thankful look and darted down.

"…Do you want me to drive you to the STN-J?" Amon asked her once she returned.

She smiled. "Thank you Amon, but no. We can't risk anyone seeing us, and besides, I need to do a few things back at my home. My grandfather expects me to make breakfast, after all."

"I see. You will walk back then?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's not far."

"I won't allow it." He said sternly. "Don't forget that the Factory may yet be waiting for an opportunity to find you alone…I will drop you off at your house instead, Robin."

She laughed, and extended her neck to give him a small kiss on the cheek. He looked back at her with surprised eyes. "…Okay." Robin whispered. "You win." With that, she left him to find her dress, smiling. She was _sure _that more of the protective shell had washed away once again.

* * *

After Amon dropped her off and she was done getting ready for the day, Robin had ridden to the STN-J very nervously. Everyone that she passed in the streets looked like a suspicious person, secretly working for the Factory. Somehow she had managed to swallow her fears and braved the streets of Japan. Eventually, Robin found her way to the STN-J, where she parked and hurried inside.

Once she reached Amon's classroom, she immediately noticed that he wasn't there. 'Don't worry Robin, I bet he's in a meeting with Zaizen and the other staff about what happened last night.' She thought to reassure herself. Still, that didn't prevent her from worrying any less.

"Robin! Over here!" Yuma called to her happily.

She waved back and ran over to them. "Hi you guys! Good to see you three again!" After lowering her voice a little, Robin asked, "What's the status of everything so far with the Factory?"

Kazuko frowned. "It doesn't look good. Somehow Sakaki managed to find out that they don't know who we are specifically, but they DO know that there was a bunch of craft users amongst our party."

"The two guards that let us in were fired." Tsutomu mumbled. "Our only way in had been blocked."

Robin shrugged. "I'm sure Doujima and Sakaki will think of something."

"But that's not all." Yuma continued. "Zaizen wants to put us hunters to the test, and for our first task as official STN-J craft users, we are to find the ones responsible and…kill them. The other half of the class that is loyal to Zaizen will be very eager to prove themselves to him."

"I see." She mumbled. "Maybe…if we explain things to them?"

"Don't you remember what Sakaki said, Robin? He chose to tell us because we're the ones that can be trusted. We can't say the same for the rest of them, I'm afraid…" Kazuko sighed wearily.

"Oh…yes, I suppose I see your point. Well then, when will we meet again with Sakaki and Doujima?"

They all shrugged. "We really don't know." Yuma said. "In all probability, a meeting will be put off for a little bit until things die down and it will be safe for us again to discuss what happened."

At that moment, Amon walked in. Robin was disheartened by the expression on his face—she could tell that the morning meeting had not been pleasant for him to sit through and listen.

He cast a weary eye at the students before him, traitors and loyalists alike. On the outside, she knew, they were not all that different. Who was who…the question on everyone's mind.

"Everyone," Amon said suddenly, "must stop talking and get back to work with training. Final exams will arrive her faster than you may think." After giving this order he looked directly at Robin suddenly with an impassive face, but she knew what he was thinking and smiled. She nodded and went back to her equipment to begin her training.

"I wonder if Zaizen told him what happened." Yuma whispered.

Robin smiled a little wider. "Somehow, I think Amon already knew about it…" Yuma gave her a curious look, but said nothing.

* * *

Review Responses:

Kaidence: lol, you think? Haha, I'm blushing…well I just hope the realistic part of this story can keep up with the A/U…

Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Yeah I like cuteness…hehehe.

isis: Will do, thanks!

Yuna of Paradise: Haha, I'm not as great as you may think I am…basically I'm just filling in any unexplained stuff in the plot. Heh.

DarkPyroPlanet: lol, maybe…well Amon's a gentleman! (sort of) He wouldn't do something like _that! _It'd be way too out of character, even for me…lol.

Gundamwinggirl: Yes yes, more kisses…much more kisses! XD

Aisling Niamh: Hooray, at least one reviewer is happy at least!

Goth Musician: No no, I'm afraid I'm blushing…I'm really bad with it, you see…even worse than Robin probably! Lol…

Trekgirl01: Oh no, now I'm blushing all over again…well I'm glad you liked it! =D

Tsukinoko1: Yeah I know! A lot of people expected them to 'do something' but they're not like that at all!...At least, for now. ;)

Youkai no Yume: Well it's nothing compared to your story! Which reminds me, VERY nice chapter five!

Chii-chan: Haha, short and sweet…arigato! Hope you'll be able to read this chappy too!

Haruya: Well you're not the only one who thought that…I suppose that's understandable though, because I guess I unintentionally implied it. Glad you liked the beginning too and such.

Wake-Robin: Yeah, actually if anyone could tell me the _real _truth behind her necklace, that would be great, lol…

Amon's Angel of the Darkness: Yep, that was Maria. Haha, I wish I _could _send you spoilers but unfortunately even _I _don't know what's going to happen next! It's sad, really…

isis (again): I sure will! Hope to see you again!

mylehia: Haha, I don't think I did that on purpose…well whatever works I guess! =D

Speaker for Psychopaths: Cookie! Yummy!!! Vira's happy now…

Vega03: lol, do you get sick after too much fluffiness? Can't say I blame you, it can easily be overdone…

Kate466: Oh my, what a long name! Well thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter!

Cat: Will do! Glad you like it so far!

yukari youkai: Haha, really? That was what I was shooting for at least!

Row: lol, yeah I definitely think she's going to get an A now. =D

That's all for now! You guys do a good job of making me blush, you know that!? Haha. Well anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. R&R! Arigato, ja ne!!


	16. The Tricks Are Revealed

Hey everyone! Here's another update for you guys…yep yep, it's been a long week for vira but I'm back and ready to write another chapter for you all! Anyways, some A/Ns…

1) Don't own WHR! Like usual! Lol…

2) I started a new fic! Hooray hooray! It's a sequel to my Inuyasha story. Hope you guys will be able to stop by! That is what I will be working on after this fic is over with, just so you know.

3) Today is Vira's birthday! =D Gimme a review for a present! Hehehe…

…Yep, that's all. I'm SO glad you guys are enjoying this story so far, it means a lot to me. And now, here is my update:

* * *

_If you always know which direction in life to take, then you simply aren't human. Some decisions must be made in an instant, while others are carefully thought out. An accidental mistake in life is neither uncommon not unnatural. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Robin ran as fast as possible to meet with Amon privately. She had snuck out of Miss Karasuma's class a little earlier from the others, but she feared it would not be enough to find him in time.

It had been a month since their last trip to the Factory. They had kept everything quiet so the Factory's frantic search for them would gradually die down. They wouldn't meet or discuss anything for awhile, for fear of suspicion. Eventually, however, Doujima had passed the word around that they would meet again—this time in her house. She had implied within the message that Sakaki wanted them to bring all the things they had found in the Factory, but Robin already knew this. It was simply a question of getting the notebook back from Amon in time for the meeting.

He had repeatedly insisted to her that he was finished with everything in it and she could take it back. Upon asking him if he had found anything 'interesting' in it, he always gave a monotonous 'maybe' for an answer. Robin had quickly realized that Amon HAD, in fact, found something interesting, but he wasn't about to tell her. She had accepted this with ease nonetheless, because after all, it certainly wasn't HER past. And so, they had arranged for a meeting in private so he could give the notebook back to Robin.

She turned a corner and ran into him, just like she did on one of her first days of her training. She blushed heavily. Robin heard him groan in pain from above and put a gloved hand on her shoulder to slowly pull himself away.

"S-Sorry." She mumbled. "Are…are you okay, Amon?" She helped him stand up properly.

"…I'm fine." He answered with a hint of strain that she could tell he was trying to conceal. "…It's over there." Amon gestured to the notebook resting on the nearby bench. She nodded and picked it up. He managed to sit down on the bench and watch her study it. "Everything's in there."

"Yes, I see. Thank you, Amon." She sat down next to him. "Sakaki will find this helpful, I imagine."

He scoffed a little. "I don't see how. Everything that was talked about in this notebook was events that happened in the past."

Robin nodded. "Well, you never know." She stretched a little on the bench and sat back to enjoy the sun. Amon looked around the area for a moment, and then extended his left arm over the bench stealthily and wrapped it around Robin's other shoulder. She sighed at this small, pleasant surprise and rested her head against his arm. He had not given her any sort of romantic encounter in the month since the night at his apartment, so she would have to make the most of it now. They couldn't really risk being together in public, but it had been so long that Robin was glad he didn't seem to care. Still…she noticed that there was something else on his mind. His mother, no doubt. It would be impossible to communicate her feelings for him while Amon was preoccupied like this.

"I want you to be careful at the meeting you'll be going to today, Robin." He whispered to her. "Make sure there are multiple exits around in case something…unexpected happens."

Robin watched out of the corner of her eye as a raven flew by. "Okay Amon." She reassured him. "I will."

His manner relaxed a little. "…I think Osuin misses you, you know. He keeps running back to the place you found him in hopes that you'll find him under there again. I've never seen him like this."

She chuckled. "Well then, maybe I'll just have to come back there one of these days for him, hmm?"

Amon gave a half-smile, which was the equivalent to a glad, full smile in her eyes. He was about to say something to her, but then, his cell phone interrupted everything. "Sorry Robin." He whispered instead while reaching into his pocket to pull it out. After a brief conversation, he hung up thoughtfully. "…That was Karasuma—a witch had been spotted." Amon looked at her regretfully. "I need to go."

Robin forced a smile of her own. "That's okay, I'm sure they need you. Be careful, Amon."

He nodded and reached a hand out to gently brush her hair away. It was a simple movement but it said all that needed to be said. Amon stood up and walked over to his car to drive away. The raven circled around Robin once before flying away. She smiled upon seeing it once more, and then stood up to start her walk over to Doujima's house.

* * *

The door was quickly opened and shut. "Hurry inside, Robin." Doujima whispered to her. She stepped into her house and was ushered down to a sort of basement TV room. Everything was very well furnished, and Robin could tell that Doujima had more money than most…or her parents did at any rate. In any case, everything looked very nice. Robin could help but feel a little jealous.

Only a little.

"Over here." Doujima motioned. "My parents will sometimes conduct a business meeting down here. I'm not supposed to be using this room, but…they're away right now, so it'll be okay."

She smiled. "Why didn't we meet here first?"

"Ah…" Doujima nodded. "Well for two reasons…my parents were home at that time. Also, Sakaki, well…he wanted the first meeting at his house, because…" She giggled a little. "He thought it made him look more like a leader. Isn't that cute?"

"Oh, I see." Robin thought for a minute. "Tell me Doujima, how did you two manage to become a couple? If you don't mind me asking, of course. I remember you shot him in the chest with a rubber bullet on the first day of training…"

She visibly stiffened. "I wish you had never heard about that, but I suppose it can't be helped. Well, I felt really bad about it all, so I visited him every day in the hospital while he recovered, which was a little less than a week…and after we had talked about various things, we found out we had a lot in common. Then, out of the blue, he told me that as soon as he could get out of there, he would take me out to dinner for a night." Doujima smiled. "Of course, I couldn't say no, especially because I was the reason he was there in the first place. But I DID find it a little odd that Sakaki would be so forgiving to the girl who did that to him. Nevertheless, I went with him, and well…eventually we became a couple." She laughed. "Isn't it funny how some things work out in this world?"

Robin nodded. "I'm glad that your relationship turned out great even though it didn't start very smoothly."

Doujima sighed. "Yeah, that's true. But he insists that he's already forgotten about it…I guess during our excursion to the STN-J lab, it made him think about more important things."

"Oh, when you two went to get the Orbo tested? Yes, I remember you talking about that…"

"Mm-hm. It wasn't easy, either…I guess you could say we're both kind of daring, eh?" After a pause, Doujima chuckled suddenly. "But enough about me, Robin. What about YOU? Any secret guy that I should be informed about? Hmm?"

"W-What? Well I…no! There's no one!" Robin blushed heavily.

Doujima caught this. "Oh come ON, you're a terrible liar, you know that? Alright, who is he!? Tell me, Robin!"

She blushed even more. "There's no one! Really!"

She laughed. "Oh, I get it; you _don't _know who it is…a secret admirer, right? Listen Robin, I've been down that road before, and believe me, you don't want to follow through with this. He turned out to be a desperate geek. If you can't get him to confess his real feelings to your face then he's not worth it…"

As Doujima talked on, Robin frowned slightly. She knew Amon wasn't a 'secret' admirer, but his feelings towards her certainly were secretive enough…she was certain that he didn't _love _her, but she hoped that she was more than just a rebound girl after dumping Touko or a short fling that they were having. 'How _does _Amon feel? I never know…maybe sometime, when the moment is right, I could make him confess…' Her eyes flickered dangerously for a second, but then her conscious stepped in. 'Get ahold of yourself! Doujima's just rubbing off on you a little bit…'

"…And so I was quick to forget about him. That was about, oh say, two years ago. Hey, are you listening!?"

"Oh, yes…I-"

"-What're you girls talking about over here?" Sakaki strolled up from behind and whispered to Robin, "Watch this!" He winked at her and turned to softly poke Doujima on both sides of her waist. She jumped in surprise but immediately laughed afterwards.

"You caught me off guard _again_, Sakaki…" She put on a pouting face. "But that wasn't fair! I was talking that time!"

He shrugged happily. "You'll just have to be ready next time, Doujima!"

She laughed and shoved him away a little. "I _will _be ready! Come on Robin, let's leave this loser so we can meet with the others…" The two giggled and pretended to walk off to the other room.

"Hmph…women." Sakaki shook his head and chuckled. He crept up to them again and slipped a hand under Doujima's palm. Robin noticed this out of the corner of her eye and felt happy for them…even if it WAS the strangest relationship she had ever seen.

* * *

"Okay everyone, we're here now…you can sit down…" Sakaki sat down on one end of the table while Doujima was on the other side. They were indeed in a sort of business meeting room, with a dozen comfortable chairs seated around the table. Thankfully, there were no windows, and Robin felt considerably more at ease. After the chatter died down, Sakaki spoke again.

"I'm glad to see you guys again. I'm even gladder that all of you have decided to come here today even though the threat of Zaizen finding us is always present. Thank you. You have placed an immeasurable amount of trust into me, it seems. Well, I won't let you down."

"I also know that you have several questions for me, including how we knew the access code to the elevator and why Doujima had a security pass. First though, those of you who have brought the things we took from the Factory can place everything on the table now."

Robin fished around for the notebook within her coat and pulled it out. Among the things set down on the table included several other books, scientific instruments, bottled liquids, and, of course, a fair amount of Orbo. Sakaki inspected each very carefully. After a few moments, he said, "I'm sure that if you managed to grab something, you've been quite curious as to what it might be used for." Sakaki smiled. "Some of you might have even done some independent research of your own. In the cases of the books, you probably read the contents…" He looked directly at Robin suddenly. "…Right?"

She gulped, and quickly shook her head.

He chuckled a little, and then turned away. "…In any case, that's okay. It's understandable…natural, even. Personally, I don't care whether you did or not. But what I _am_ concerned about is the matter of secrecy. No matter what, no one must _ever_ know what exactly we have from the Factory. The consequences could be fatal…for all of us. I can't stress this enough. I know most of you already realize this, but I'm saying it anyways…so this is completely confidential, okay?" Everyone nodded. "…Good. I will take these now and study them to see if any useful knowledge can be obtained from it. I'm sure there will be."

Robin's face froze. She had hoped that she would been able to grab her notebook after the meeting. She was very curious about what Amon had found in there, but she didn't have a chance to read anything since he gave it to her right before. 'Maybe Sakaki will let me have it.' Robin thought. 'After all, it _did_ happen years ago, and the knowledge inside is probably worthless now…'

"…Anyways." He continued. "Thank you all very much, and enough about that. You've kept your promise and now I'll keep mine." Sakaki sat back down in his chair. "Doujima and I were in contact with a man that we knew we could trust. We put out faith into him, and he didn't let us down." Sakaki glanced over at the doorway. "Okay, you can come in here now."

All eyes swiveled over to the other side of the room. Robin gasped a little—from behind the door, Michael, the guy she met for the first time in the church, entered. He walked forward awkwardly and smiled a little. "Er…hi everyone…" Sakaki pulled up a chair for him and he sat down. Michael looked up again and reddened. "Hey, stop staring already! I'm not _that _great! C'mon, you guys have seen me around at the STN-J…right?"

"…Of course they have, Michael." Doujima said. "But they didn't KNOW you were working for us…you can imagine if they're a bit shocked, right?"

He shrugged. "I guess so. I'm not _that _important, really." Michael said to the rest of them.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Michael!" Sakaki exclaimed with confidence. "If it wasn't for you, we probably couldn't have pulled the whole thing off." He gave a short chuckle. "…But perhaps you're the one who should be explaining it all?"

Michael sighed. "Well I…I mean, it wasn't terribly hard or anything…sure it took awhile, I suppose. After all, this WAS the Factory we were dealing with. But I managed to hack my way into part of the security system undetected and found out some interesting things to the place—especially the codes. Then all I had to do was print out a small security pass, laminate it, and give it to Doujima. The rest was entirely their doing…"

"The hard part was actually getting the van driver's outfits." Sakaki continued. "And believe me, it was NOT easy. It's not like there's a dozen of those things just lying around, right?" He sighed. "But Michael managed to find a warehouse where they're kept when nobody's wearing them. To make a long story short, we managed to get the number we needed."

"Yeah, we only had to knock a few guards unconscious…" Doujima rolled her eyes.

"Of course, nothing was perfect." Michael explained. "As I said, I was only able to break into _part _of the security system. We didn't count on an alarm going off when you guys entered that room, but that was what ended up happening…"

"…Right." Sakaki finished. "But as it turned out, we didn't need to know about the alarm anyways, because we all made it out of there safely."

Doujima hung her head in shame. "Sorry we didn't tell you guys about Michael and everything, but we were afraid that you all wouldn't trust him since he's part of the STN-J staff." Across the table, all the craft users muttered their quick forgiveness.

"At any rate, I know most of you are wondering when we will next infiltrate the Factory. My answer is, not for a very, very long time. Because one, we can't rush something like this, two, I want to wait until you've finished your training as hunters, and three, the Factory will be on its guard now."

Doujima winked. "Plus we need to study all the stuff you guys brought!"

He coughed. "Er, that's right Doujima. Anyways though, I'll be sure to send the message out to all of you when it'll be time again, okay? But it won't be for awhile. Again, thank you so much for coming here today, and I suppose this meeting is now adjourned."

* * *

"Sakaki? Doujima?"

It had been a few minutes since everyone else in the room slowly filed out. Robin had lingered behind in order to inquire about the notebook that she desperately wanted to read. "Can um…can I ask you guys something?"

Sakaki smiled behind the shuffling of the books. "Sure Robin. What is it?"

"Well, I was just wondering if I could…have the notebook back that I gave you? I want to…to…read it…"

Doujima laughed. "Why, you haven't already?"

She reddened. "No…"

Sakaki went to retrieve it from the pile and handed it to her. "…I guess it'll be okay. But remember Robin, if you read anything of any importance then you'll tell me right away, okay?"

Robin nodded. "Okay. Thanks!" She smiled happily and turned to wave goodbye to them, then hurried to catch up with the others, who were already filing out of the house.

* * *

Review Responses:

My-Immortal666: Aw, sad eyes! Well now I guess I have to update! Hehehe…

Haruya: Yep, starting to unravel…I suppose the last few chapters will do that to a story!

Vega03: Hahaha, you just reminded me of the French Revolution and all the different governments…here's the update for ya!

Wake-Robin: I luffs teh Osuin. Any story that has a cat in it is automatically cool. =D

Youkai no Yume: Uh…uh…well yes, BUT! Vira has predicted…that…um…your chapter five will be very nice too! =D Yep yep! So get going with that…so uh…I can be happy and stuff! Yeah…

Yuna of Paradise: Huh, I've never heard of that store before…a story from you? Cool! Tell me when it's made!

Goth Musician: Are you kidding!? The ONLY time to read an story is at 2:30 AM! =D

Kaidence: Aw, you're making me blush! Well arigato though, and I hope you'll be able to read this new chappy!

Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Will do! Oh yeah, and fanart! Please please?

Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Sacred happy dance of doom? Hmm, interesting…you'll have to teach it to me some day! =D

Dust'in: So far so good eh? Well I'm glad you like it, and I hope you will keep reading!

Dust'in (again): Yep yep, will do!

Haze Tax: Hahaha, yeah detail is always a good thing when writing a story. ;)

Gundamwinggirl: lol! Yes as long as Amon is cute it doesn't matter much! Hehehe…

fantacdreamer: I suppose they are, that's very true…

chii-chan: Will do, thanks!

ang: lol, I like that one! I'll have to write it down, heh heh…

theUniverseBeyond: Hey don't worry about it! I'm a fan of Mario myself…can't say I've ever had dreams though. And yeah, you're not the only reviewer who is glad Amon and Robin didn't 'do anything.' Oh, and Robin's sure to get her A's now!

Asa, the Daughter: Wow, I had no idea! How cool! Thanks for telling me, that's pretty neat!

Dust'in (again): Eh, I really haven't decided yet…

DarkPyroPlanet: Hahaha, I STILL don't know which category it is, believe it or not! And I don't think Robin does either. Anyways, yay! Pickles! Vira is happy now, happy happy Vira…

Shawn Provoncha: Glad to hear it! Hope you'll be able to read this update!

Wow, that was a lot of work…too much work for a birthday! Hehehe. Anyways, I really hope the plot is making sense and everything! I decided to throw a little Sakaki and Doujima fluff into the mix, just in case you were tired of hearing about fluff from Amon and Robin! But I seriously doubt that! XD At any rate, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


	17. The Final Exams

Time for another update everyone! I had a good birthday, and it was even better because lots of people reviewed! Hehehe. Well, before I start eh next chappy, some A/Ns:

1) Don't own WHR! For like the millionth time!!

2) Vira has had the worst writer's block for her two stories! Sorries for the long update! Hope I didn't leave you in suspense…hehehe! The next update should be much quicker.

3) I am going on vacation! After the next update, I'll probably finish this story completely. Hopefully then, I can focus more on my other story! (go visit it please) Hahaha! Anyways, that's what I'll be doing soon enough. With luck I won't die on the plane! Lol.

Yep, that's enough A/Ns for the moment, now onto the story!:

* * *

_It is said that all good things must come to an end. Where there is a beginning…there is a finish. A balanced equation. No matter how hard we want it, we cannot prevent the inevitable—the final stage of it all. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

The days went by quickly. March flew by…then April…and then May. The students studied hard at every hour of it. They practiced. They read. They battled against each other in order to train. Amon could tell his pupils were growing stronger and stronger as the days continued to pass. Soon…they would become hunters.

And Robin.

She would become one, too.

Amon was afraid for her. It was a strange feeling, really. Fear was something that he just wasn't used to. And he never would be either, because this wasn't something that he could easy hide behind a mask. And the pain. He had almost forgotten about it, but there it was. With his fears, there was always a pain that followed…the pain of thinking what could happen to her if she wasn't careful.

They both knew they were living in the eye of the storm. The temporary calm. And there was no other alternative to escape it but going right into the storm; the danger that Amon had feared. He chose not to show it, but she knew.

Somehow, she always knew.

But they couldn't think about that right now, so they occupied themselves with the thought of final exams. Even so, whenever Amon would go to sleep…

_"Come with me."_

_"…Where?"_

_"It doesn't matter. We might not have as much time as we had originally hoped for."_

_"…What do you mean?"_

_"I think…that you know. You know what I mean."_

_"No…Robin…"_

_"I must do this, Amon. I must do this for them…for the witches…it's my obligation to help them in the Factory. It's what my mother would have wanted, after all."_

_"But I don't want you to."_

_"Then come with me…I can show you. And we'll be together."_

_"I don't understand…show me what?"_

_"That which you fear most.__ You DO fear, don't you?"_

_"I-"_

_"-It is inevitable. All living things fear. Amon…it's okay to be afraid."_

_"I'll only be afraid if you're not with me."_

_"I can't always guarantee that. Please, Amon…enjoy this time we have now. The end may be closer than you think. Rest now."_

He did not know if it was some trick of his mother's, but lately Amon had been dreaming of that conversation with her. Robin's body was never really there—only her voice—and neither was his. Was it something that he was supposed to take to heart? Amon could only assume so.

'I won't allow Robin to be treated the same way my mother was.' He thought. The muscles inside of him clenched involuntarily. There was no way he was going to let that happen. 'I'll stay by her for as long as it takes.'

For a little longer at least, things would remain calm…

* * *

"I want all of you to stand over there, next to that tree."

The eager trainees crowded around the tree; amongst them was Robin. It was the Final Exam day in his class—after it was over, they would be full-fledged witch hunters…or at least, the ones that passed. But this time, more space was required than just their classroom.

"Now, I need all of you to pay attention, because I'm only going to say this once. I've invited a friend over here to test your strength. Like you, he has a craft—the complete control of wind. It's your job to avoid being hit by him with his attacks and also do some damage of your own. He will be wearing Orbo so there's no reason to fear hitting him critically. Understand?"

There was the usual slow nodding that he saw every year at this point of time. "You will go in alphabetical order. Begin."

The boy named Ryobe stepped up first. Everyone watched him curiously as he approached his opponent. Amon could see Ryobe shaking from all the way over from where he was standing.

"The first move is yours." His friend said gruffly.

Quick as lightning, Ryobe melted some nearby rocks until they became a puddle. He formed the liquid into a sort of moat that rested calmly between the two craft opponents.

He smirked. "Good." The wind kicked up suddenly and blew straight at Ryobe. "…But not good enough."

Ryobe was hit slightly, but he quickly recovered. "Take THIS!" Another attack shot out of himself and against the wind. It managed to push through and bounced against the other's shoes, which melted into the ground.

"That's enough." Amon shouted. "Ryobe, come here. Someone get him new shoes. The next person is up."

As this transaction was being made, Amon spoke to Ryobe briefly. "Ryobe, your attack successfully hit him. However, his attack managed to land on you. But since it wasn't direct, you have passed this test." He smiled from ear to ear and nodded quickly.

Amon turned his attention back to the next student. As his friend was changing his shoes, Amon glanced at Robin out of the corner of his eye. She was talking happily with a girl student named Yuma. Robin had already insisted to him not to give her any special treatment for the test, and of course he wouldn't. Still, Amon knew she would pass with ease. With her glasses as an accessory, Robin would have no problems at all. He was quite confident about her abilities. But she wasn't up for a while however, and so Amon turned his attention back to the current student who was about to begin.

Eventually, it was Robin's turn. She approached him with an impressively calm manner. She had been watching all the previous exams and Amon was positive that Robin had studied his technique enough to understand all of his weaknesses.

"I'm ready!" She cried.

Amon nodded. "Then you may begin."

The wind had immediately begun to pick up. It swirled around her, but she managed to dodge it. Robin cast a flame at him…but it was only an experimental one. The powerful current swept through the fire easily. He smirked in triumph over this, but Robin had only smiled back.

"Wind feeds fire…" She mumbled. "If my flame is strong enough, you will only multiply my power…" She stood up fully. Her opponent heard her say this, so he unleashed several, sporadic air attacks at once. Robin stared at them intensely, and as they swept closer to her, she easily blocked all of them with her fire. "…You see." She continued. "It's no use trying to fight my craft with wind." With that, Robin opened her eyes suddenly to the fullest extent, and a fiery tongue shot out from them. Amon watched as, thankfully, the Orbo deflected her attack…but it was certainly a direct hit nonetheless.

"That's enough." He called. "Next student."

As Kazuko stepped forward, Robin walked back to him slowly. Amon tried to keep his manner as professional as possible. "Your accuracy and evasion was high. You also maintained a good ability to think quickly." He noticed that she was starting to blush slightly, which made him warm up a little inside. "You've passed the exam, Robin." She nodded happily and walked back over to her friends after giving him a gentle smile.

As Amon scribbled some things down on paper, he wondered how Robin would do in her other exams. She appeared to be very confident, so he knew she would not be worried about it for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Today is a fine day for the STN-J, and for all of us as well. After a year of hard work and training, the students that you see seated before you will now become fully fledged as hunters. I have seen them work hard for this moment, and now that it has finally arrived, I am very pleased to see the great number of achievements that have been made. Congratulations to all."

It was three days later. Kosaka was making a speech to all the parents and guardians—not to mention the students and staff—about the 'great honor' of promoting them to hunters. Amon stared at the ground in a boredom that had reached its ultimate heights from yet another one of Kosaka's speeches. His gaze wandered over to the place where Robin was sitting. She was smiling happily, and it was indeed something to be proud of. Suddenly, she looked over at him—and caught him looking back at her. Robin gave a small wave, and he nodded back.

"…And so," Kosaka continued, "It is my great honor to present each of these graduates here today with their STN-J hunter license and training completion certificate. Again, I congratulate you all." There was a round of proud claps.

After that, the usual ceremony came—Kosaka called each of their names and they came up one by one. "And don't forget that there will be a banquet this evening at the STN-J!" He reminded all of them after it was all over. "I hope to see you there!"

Amon stood up. He had hoped on talking to Robin for a minute or two, but then several parents had walked up to him in order to give their thanks for being 'such a wonderful teacher.' He managed somehow to bear all of it with a straight face, but inside he was growing more and more impatient. Amon knew that she had given him signs to show that she wanted to go somewhere with him in order to celebrate—perhaps to Harry's for some lunch. At this rate however, it wasn't looking like it. Gradually, Amon pushed his way through over to see her. But the closer he managed to get, the further she was being pulled away by her friends. Robin saw him trying to move to her however, and she quickly mouthed the word 'banquet.' He nodded to show that he understood, and turned around to go to his car. It was settled then. He had no reason to stay here now, especially considering how crowded the area was.

As Amon approached his car, he noticed there was a piece of paper stuck on the windshield. He picked it up and studied the scrawled writing. It read simply, 'The Mizu Bridge, 3 o'clock.' Amon looked around sharply, but no one was there. He muttered some things under his breath angrily and crumpled the paper up into the nearby trash can.

* * *

"Leave the gun in the car." A voice said from behind the bridge's corner. Amon recognized that voice from somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"Show yourself first." He ordered from his car. "…And be quick about it." He added. "I need to be somewhere soon."

Amon heard a sigh. "…Very well." A figure emerged out of the shadows. It was Juliano, Robin's grandfather. "You're even smarter than I thought, Amon. But that will be for the best soon enough."

Amon scowled. "You don't have short-term memory loss at all. I knew it the first time I saw you, but I didn't know why acting would serve any purpose to you at all, so I didn't mention this to Robin."

Juliano smirked. "We all have our secrets, Amon." He answered cryptically. He looked at him. "…Including you."

His eyes narrowed and he pointed the gun at him despite his previous agreement. "Just tell me what you want already."

The old man sighed. "Please Amon, put the gun away. You don't need to worry about anything." After a moment or two passed, Amon reluctantly lowered his gun. "…Good. Now, come over here so we may talk…"

Amon approached him cautiously. "This had better be important."

"It is—I've come to warn you. I know all about your mother, and I know you read the book about what happened to her. I see it in your eyes that you agree I'm telling the truth. I brought you here because I'm positive the same thing that happened long ago to my daughter is gradually happening to Robin and yourself."

Amon stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"You would be wise not to stick your nose into things it doesn't belong. I sense that your power will emerge soon enough, Amon." He looked at him. "…You know that what I speak of is true."

He scoffed. Did Juliano have some sort of craft as well? The power of foresight, perhaps? Or was he just wise and experienced in his old age? "How can you possibly tell all of this?"

He smiled. "History repeats itself. That is all I will say for now." Juliano looked to the sky. "The mask of obliviousness that I have chosen can show me many things. I know what Robin is about to do with the Factory. You cannot stop her, and neither can I. The best we can do is accept the way she is…just like…her mother…" He sighed. "I don't have much time left here…"

Amon glared at him. Frankly, he didn't really care how much time Juliano had left…the liar that he was. "…Why are you telling me this?"

Juliano turned to look back at him with a very serious expression. "I know what your relationship is with my granddaughter, and, contrary to what you may think, I truly embrace it. All I want is for you to take care of her…when I'm gone. I know you are very capable of doing this, Amon." He glanced at him watch. "Do what you feel is right. But now I must go—_addio_, and remember well what I said."

Without saying another word, Juliano left. Amon watched him walk down the street thoughtfully, and then turned back to his car.

* * *

"Amon, what's wrong?"

It was two hours later, and Robin was helping him, as an STN-J staff member, set up before the banquet would begin. Amon knew it was clearly written on his face that something had been bothering him, but he chose not to talk about it.

"I…it's nothing. I'm fine." He replied monotonously.

Amon could actually feel her suspicion rise. Robin tried to catch his eye, but he turned away from her in order to set the boxes down.

"Well…" She said after a moment. "We should, um…move those over there into the storage room. And the ones next to them can go somewhere in the hallway, I suppose…right?"

"Yeah." Amon bent down to begin the process of moving them. "We'll need plenty of room in here for all of the people expected to come…"

As they were doing this, the speakers across the room suddenly turned on, and a soft melody which would be used for the future banquet as background music slowly kicked in. Robin smiled and closed her eyes. "I remember…I remember…this song that my mother used to sing…" She listened carefully and began to hum quietly to the tune. To Amon, it was like nothing he had ever heard of before.

"Sing it…" He prompted gently. Robin looked surprised for a second, but then she nodded and opened her mouth up to amplify the chords and reveal the verses. Amon was immediately wrapped into her wonderful song…which in any other moment he would have seen as strange, especially because he was never one to particularly like music.

Soon after the song ended, Robin opened her eyes again and smiled. "Did you like it, Amon?"

"…Yes." He answered truthfully. "I didn't know you could sing like that, Robin."

She nodded. "Well, there are a lot of things that you don't know about me." She chuckled and turned to continue stacking boxes.

'I want to know more.' He desperately thought. 'I want to learn everything about you, so please Robin…don't leave me.'

* * *

Review Responses:

Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Arigato! And don't forget to update your story! I wanna find out what happens next!!

Vega03: Yeah, it was sort of uneventful, wasn't it? Heh.

DarkPyroPlanet: Yes, I'm afraid the plot needs to be a little more detailed…well don't worry, because the end will sure tie away a few knots! Promise! More fluff will come soon enough!

Haruya: Yeah, all of my stories go to twenty chapters (just like all of them start with 'the' lol).

chii-chan: I swear that's all you ever say! Well thanks though!

Kaidence: Bah, it's not your fault, lots of other people make me blush 'round here! Heh! Thanks for the review!

Youkai no Yume: CAKE! Vira = happy. =D Oh, and your e-mail sent me a virus, you might wanna look into that, lol.

Goth Musician: Hahaha I know exactly what you mean. Lately I have been staying up to like 3 in the morning! I'm a bad Vira…

Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Aw, thanks for the present! Glad you liked it!

insanereader: Why thank you lots! =D And you made me blush! Bah!

Dust'in: Yes, they certainly do rule! I wish I could be Robin…oh, bad thoughts! XD

Gundamwinggirl: Hahaha, I wonder what would happen if Amon were to encounter a chocolate kiss…he'd probably shoot it with his gun! Lol! Doesn't seem like the type to eat one of those things…

Meichan: Yeah, I think Sakaki and Doujima are cute as a couple, but not too many fanfic writers embrace it…'sides, Amon and Robin are better!

Shawn Provoncha: lol, will you ever stop typing in caps!? Anyways, thanks lots!

row: Yeah he sure does…my b-day was pretty fun, got a lot of cool gifts!

Wake-Robin: Yeah she'll find something in there, the only trouble is, I haven't decided on what exactly that should be! Lol.

Kagome Of Summer Dances: Ah, anyone can write as good as me! (because I write horribly…lol).

yukari youkai: Love child!? HAHAHAHA!!! Yeah, I guess it was! Heh!

Yuna of Paradise: Yeah, Doujima was the same girl. I hate my brother too, in fact, that sounds just like something he'd do, because the computer is in his room and I don't trust him very much…

Neko-Yuff16: Arigato! Glad you liked it!

DreamCatch89: Yes, we all luff WHR! And I'm SO mad that they took it off! Hopefully, they'll come to their senses! Until then, fanfiction!

Rose with Thorns: Well, it's unbelievably hard keeping Amon in character, so I'm glad you approve.

Yuna of Paradise (again): lol, well if you're going to look at all of my other stories, then do yourself a favor and DON'T read my Rurouni Kenshin one. It was like my very first fanfic and quite frankly, it's awful! I have improved much since then!

Cat: Thanks for the happy birthday! =D Glad you're not sick of Amon and Robin fluff!

TheUniverseBeyond: Ah, don't worry about it! A late review is better than no review at all! And yes, everything will be explained…soon enough! Hehehe. In fact, the next chapter will probably be the one!

And that's all! Hope you guys liked this chapter! More fluffiness to come, and such! Oh, and more explanations to! Remember, if you're confused about anything, just ask! I'll be happy to answer anything. Anyways, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


	18. The Difficult Farewell

Hey everyone! Here's Vira again for another update. I guess all I need to say is that I don't own WHR—like I haven't for the last 18 chapters! After this, I'll be going on vacation, where I'll probably finish this story up. Anyways, here's the next chapter:

* * *

_As one becomes older, it is known all too well that sacrifices must commonly be made. Some are easier than others. But then we come to the point in our life when the biggest sacrifice of all must be given. It is inevitable. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Robin gently opened the door and peered her head through. Her grandfather was asleep. Excellent. She giggled a little and walked past his room and into the one with the nice fireplace. The time was midnight on the dot. She could only risk reading the notebook while Juliano was asleep. Robin looked around herself once cautiously, and then opened the crinkled pages up to begin reading.

Amon's mother had the experiment number of 44. It had taken Robin a bit to find it, but once she saw the woman's picture there was no mistake. This meant that she was under Trial B3, with the Mind Reading Crafts. That made sense, Robin knew. His mother could bring out the worst memory of a person. What made her an interesting case was because of the fact that she could place a recorded memory into material things.

Robin read on. She didn't really know what to expect. First, Dr. Tamura gave a brief explanation of how she was caught (voluntarily). Then, her craft was explained in detail—most of which Robin already knew. Finally, she got to the interesting part:

**…#44 seems quite calm, even after injected by the Orbo. When asked to place the memories inside of the object before her, she complied, albeit hesitantly. It seems as though her craft reacts directly to the Orbo in such a way that she is not fully able to transfer all the memories. I feel we are getting closer with our process. The results are very promising. When the Orbo has been taken away, the direct effects will still leave an impact.**

Robin did not fully understand, and she wondered if Amon did. She read on.

**#44 has weakened substantially in the body and mind. She will not live by the time the experiment is over. Fortunately, all of the data that we needed has been obtained. We have concluded that she has proved time and time again that it IS possible to preserve memories for all to see. This prospect is a very dangerous one to the company. We predict her death will come quickly, and the project will be terminated.**

She closed the book abruptly. So, that was it, then. It didn't really surprise her all that much for some reason. Again, Robin wondered what Amon felt about it all. He probably had accepted his mother's death long before he looked at that page. Still…it must have hurt, seeing it in words like that. Uncaring words. Robin made her mind up immediately that she would do everything she could to help Amon. He never told her directly, but she could tell that he had been genuinely hurt after discovering what exactly happened to his mother. Well, she would help him through this whether he wanted it or not.

* * *

"Coffee, Harry. This time, give me the darkest thing you have."

"Tea will be fine for me."

The restaurant owner nodded and went to work with the drinks. They sat there, together, in silence. Each knew this would be a farewell, temporary or otherwise. In either case, Robin would not be seeing Amon for awhile. They couldn't risk it. He was a long-time staff member of the STN-J, and she was a rebel to the Factory. It was a difficult position, but Robin knew Amon understood. But she tried not to think about that for right now. She wanted one more happy memory of Amon, at least. And she was determined to get it right now.

The word had been passed down from Sakaki—tomorrow, they would infiltrate the Factory and learn once and for all what exactly they did to all of the witches in there. Robin already knew, however. She knew from reading the notebook. Their DNA was essential to make new Orbo, which would, at the rate the Factory was going, would be used to eradicate all witches from the earth. Perhaps that was the master plan of it all. She shuddered.

Eventually, Harry came back with the two drinks. He smiled and said, "Here you are. Please enjoy yourselves. I need to wash a few dishes, so you'll have to excuse me…" Robin nodded. Harry bowed pleasantly, and then turned to go back behind the door.

Amon sipped his drink carefully. "I received a letter yesterday, Robin. It stated what classes all of my students have graduated to. Robin, you are an S-class." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

She beamed. "Really? Wow…I—I never imagined…me?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"That's _so _wonderful to hear. Maybe now I won't feel as nervous when we go back to the Factory-"

She stopped abruptly. Her vow not to bring that up had just been shattered.

"…Um, I think this tea could use a little more sugar…"

"…It's alright, Robin." Amon set the mug down. "We need to talk about it anyways." He looked at her. "You will be going back tomorrow."

She frowned. "Yes…you're right. I'm not too worried about it, however. With the skilled craft users that we have, everything should run smoothly."

"I know I can't make you change your mind. But it's not too late to reconsider everything."

Robin almost smiled. Amon was showing genuine concern for her. True, it almost seemed as though he didn't know how to properly express an urgent concern, but it was there nonetheless. "Thank you Amon, but like you said, nothing will change my mind."

He looked away to stare straight ahead and sip more of the coffee with his hair fallen in front of his face. Was Amon hurt by this? On a whim, Robin slid her hand slowly under his. He stared at his coffee, still yet hiding all emotion. Now it was Robin's turn to be concerned. 'Please…don't close up on me again…I may be young, but…Amon, you can talk to me about anything. You can trust me.'

"…Amon? Please, tell me what's wrong…"

"Robin." He uttered simply with a voice that was not quite his. "I don't…want you to go. Something will happen."

Oh.

Robin knew immediately that it took all of his courage to say that. Obviously, it was very important to him. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and brushed some of his hair away to see his face. At last he looked at her—his eyes were soft.

She stood up. "Amon, I promise I will see you again. As proof, I'll give you this." Robin reached from behind her neck and removed the delicate string that was her necklace. She placed it in Amon's hand and closed his fingers with her own. "I'll come back to this. I trust you'll take good care of it while I'm gone, Amon." Robin smiled and sat back down to drink more of her tea.

She saw him look at it thoughtfully for a moment or two, and then he placed it carefully inside of his pocket. "I'll keep it for you, then." He drunk down the rest of his coffee and stood up. "Come on, I'll take you home Are you done with your tea?"

Robin nodded. "Yes, I'm finished. You're right—we should go…but first…" She walked calmly up to the door where Harry was on the other side. She waved in the window, and he happily waved back. After that was over, Robin turned back to Amon. "…Okay. Now we can go."

* * *

And soon, they had arrived once again to her home. The journey there had been very quiet. 'But that's okay.' She thought. 'All that either of us wanted to say has already been said.' And yet, there was one more thing…

As Amon was unlocking the door for her distractedly, Robin leaned over and pressed her lips softly again his grim jaws. The rest happened in an instant. Whatever emotions that Amon was holding back earlier was released down upon her. He pulled Robin even closer from the next seat in a farewell grip. Amon held her tightly and showed all that he was feeling to her with no words. Then, as suddenly as it happened, Robin was released once again. She pulled back to her original seat and put a hand to his cheek tenderly. With one last reassuring look to Amon, Robin turned and got out of the car.

* * *

"I've read more of these Factory reports and logs than I'd ever really care to."

It was the next day. They were all gathered to go over the exact infiltration plan. As far as Robin could see, everyone looked to be as confident as she was. Currently, Sakaki was talking about what was found in the evidence they brought.

"All of our fears have been confirmed—and the Factory is a lot sicker than I had originally thought. Orbo is made directly out of witches' DNA. And…they were used for experiments as well. To make the Orbo stronger. I think it would be best if I don't go over the gruesome details, for all of our sakes. At any rate, the way they are treating the captured witches is absolutely inhumane. So, tonight, our plan will be even bigger than before. Simply put, Michael has given us a computer chip which we can use to sabotage the main computer system. He told me were and how to place it. That should shut down the security. The rest is all up to us, if you know what I mean."

Everyone nodded.

"…Good. Okay, let's move out people!"

* * *

Everything, overall, had run smoothly for them. They had gone in with a Factory van. Doujima had shown her exact security card replicate, along with lots of fast talking. Once inside, the group moved quickly down the elevator and through the hallways.

Sakaki was talking quietly into a small communicator for Michael and himself. "This way." He whispered to the rest of them. They followed after him quickly. "Michael says it shouldn't be too much farther from here. There will be a big red door to our left. A few security guards and such should be there, so I'll need you guys ready, okay?"

They all nodded. "Bring it on." Yuma whispered to Robin. "I've been anxious to test how far my training has taken me."

"This isn't a game, Yuma." Deep down inside however, Robin knew she wanted to see exactly what she could do as well. She hoped it would be enough to stop anything that the Factory might throw their way while here.

They ran down several corridors. Eventually, they came to the red door that Michael spoke of. Sakaki peered around the corner and counted the number of guards. "Six. Okay, I'll need…Melissa…Tsutomu, and…Robin. They shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"

Robin gulped. "Don't worry." Melissa whispered to her. "I'll knock their guns and everything out of their hands so you two won't have any trouble. You can do it, Robin—I've seen how good you are in class."

Robin smiled. "Really?"

"Hurry up before they see us!" Sakaki whispered to them.

The three classmates flew out from behind the corner. True to her word, Melissa whipped their weapons straight out of their hands. The guards barely had time to look surprised before Tsutomu showered his impulse waves down upon them. One managed to grab his gun back, but the shot was quickly blocked by Robin's fire. Tsutomu finished the job by knocking them out with a strong enough wave.

"Nice job." Sakaki said to them as the rest came up from behind. "We need to hurry now…one of them might've tipped off the security that we are here. Doujima? Where's Doujima?"

"Right here." She walked up to him. "I have the computer chip ready. Robin, do you think you can melt that door down?"

Robin looked at it. "Yes, but it might take awhile. Everyone…stand back!" All of her comrades stepped away as her eyes began to glow. The fire shot from within her and began the process of breaking down the door. Little by little, the big metal door gave way to the heat.

Once that was over, Sakaki looked around. "I'll need a few of you to guard the hallway. Yuma and Steven, you can do this. Everyone else…come with me!"

The room was very dark and musky. Robin eyes slowly began to adjust. To the right, they found a large computer. Sakaki ran over to it and began to talk quickly with Michael. "…He says the thing we need to be looking for is in a small, blue box hooked up to everything. Do you guys see it?" They spent about half a minute searching around, but the box had remained hidden. "…It's no good." Sakaki grumbled. "Everything's too dark. Kazumi, do you think you could brighten some things up here? That would probably help."

Kazumi stepped forward. "Yes, one moment…" Robin saw her concentrate deeply, and soon there was a gradual increase of light.

"Good." Sakaki looked around. "Now-"

His sentence was cut short as the light revealed more than he had hoped for. At the very end of the room, Zaizen and the other half of their craft class emerged.

"I _thought _this is where I would find you. It's a shame—you were fine students. But I'm afraid I can't let you go any further." He held up his gun. The other students rose to prepare for a fight.

"Atsutane, hurry!!" Sakaki shouted. The boy nodded, and immediately an invisible barrier shot around them. It was just in time too, because Zaizen's Orbo bullet zoomed towards them and disintegrated from coming in contact with the barrier.

Zaizen's brow narrowed. "Very well. I didn't want to do something so violent, but…" He turned to their classmates and shouted harshly, "Destroy them!" They nodded loyally and began to run towards the group.

"Everyone!" Sakaki shouted. "There's ten craft users in all! Pick one to fight—but stay close to Atsutane's barrier!"

Atsutane began to struggle. "I'll try to protect you guys as long as possible, but I can't hold this forever."

With those last words, an all-out battle began between the classmates. Robin watched as Ryobe, Seka, Akahito, Kojuro, Teruyu, Aiko, Yosai, Namiko, Sudaharu, and Sakamae began to put their craft into full swing. She knew immediately that the battle would not be easy. As Ryobe began to melt some nearby metal, Maeko countered this by lifting up all the liquid that he had created with his craft and throwing it back in his face. Robin's thought were taken from her as Sudaharu knocked her to the ground. Yuma saw this from afar and, angered by it, made a powerful seizure surge through Sudaharu's body. Namiko countered this attack by creating her unbearable shrill noise that only Yuma could hear.

"Yuma!" Robin cried. Before she had time to react, Aiko took the opportunity to rain cutting air waves down onto her.

"Look out!" Elijah slid a huge part of the tile up from the ground to block the attack. Cement shattered everywhere.

"Thanks!" She shouted to him. She was about to help Yuma, but a surge of electricity blocked her path.

"…Our fight…" Akahito said menacingly to her. "…Hasn't been finished."

Robin sighed. She remembered how Akahito had been expelled from the STN-J training facility. What was he doing here? Zaizen must've needed all the help he could get. Ignoring the others, Robin stepped up calmly to her opponent. "I've become a lot stronger than since last we met."

Akahito smiled. "Maybe so, maybe so. But it still won't be enough." With that, an electrical charge shot out from him and straight towards Robin. She nullified it with her fire, and the battle was on.

Robin shot out flames rapidly. Akahito had formed a quick sort of electrical barrier around himself. More lightning came crashing down to her, which she barely managed to dodge in time. He smirked. "Only a matter of time…"

"Never." She answered icily.

"Listen to me! Everyone!" Sakaki called amidst the fight. "Zaizen is deceiving you! I know you think protecting the Factory is the right thing to do, but they are using the witches we catch for horrible experiments! And _you _could be next!"

"Silence!" Zaizen shot at Sakaki. The bullet grazed his shoulder. "Don't listen to him. Keep fighting!"

Suddenly, another bullet shot through the room. The amount of compacted Orbo in it caused all crafts in the room to completely neutralize. All the fighting stopped, and the craft users looked up slowly.

"…Stand down, Zaizen." A voice said next to him. "I can handle it from here." A woman emerged from the shadows. She fired again. This time, Orbo swept through all of them, knocking everyone to their feet. "Don't try anything funny."

Robin tried to get up, but she could feel herself starting to black out. Doujima lifted her head up. "Who ARE you!?"

The woman chuckled. Robin had almost lost all consciousness.

"I am Dr. Solomon."

* * *

Review Responses:

vegetasprincess1: Thanks! Let's just hope everything will work out for them…

CrazyFemaleDragon: Will do! And thanks for the review! =D

Dreamcatcher89: Heh, did it really? Well, the Juliano on the show always…looked like he had something to hide, I guess.

Youkai no Yume: No no, it was another e-mail with me as the sole recipient, and I know you didn't do it, so that's okay! Lol. Oh yeah, and UPDATE! Pwease pwease? And yes, yummy cake…

Wake-Robin: Arigato! Glad you like it so far!

Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Well of course I read it! =D It's in my favorites!

Gundamwinggirl: Really!? Well then, happy birthday! I'd bake you a cake but unfortunately Vira's skills with cakes are not very good. Oh well. And yeah, Amon does seem like the cat type—just not the cute, adorable, kitten type! Hehe!

Yuna of Paradise: Yep, relatives will do that to ya. Glad you could review though!

TheUniverseBeyond: Hahaha! '…asking Amon to leave the gun in the car is like telling him to stop breathing.' So true! I am going on vacation to North Carolina, where I can get sun burned by the beach. Fun fun!

bravedragon: Well, I certainly hope it's getting more and more interesting! Lol.

MidnightBlade07: Glad to see it's one of your favorites. Hope you'll keep reading!

Cat: Hahaha, I'll be gone for a week and a day. And I'll be writing the next chapter the whole time, promise!

DarkPyroPlanet: Well er…actually, the banquet already happened. Somewhere. =D Glad to see you like it though.

Queen of Hearts8: I certainly hope they live happily ever after! Hehe. Thanks for the review!

Shawn Provoncha: Arigato! And only two more chapters left, too…

Yuna of Paradise (again): I don't know what her last name is—I don't believe she was ever given one. And I dunno what song Robin was singing either, but it must've been pretty cool to have that effect on Amon! Hehehe.

I really hope you guys liked that chapter! I've been having writer's block, which is strange because I have everything plotted out in my head. Heh. Anyways, it's vacation time! I'll be back in a week and a day! R&R! Arigato, ja ne!!


	19. The Rescue Assemblance

* * *

Hey y'all! Vira had some trouble writing her other fic and with the vacation it was hard to update. But I'm here now! The next update will come sooner, promise! I suppose it doesn't help that I start school in a week, heh. Anyways, I don't own WHR, and here's the next installment:

* * *

_Too often we loose something dear to us. If our will is exceptionally strong, then hope for a swift return will always remain. And if our determination is unbendable, we may begin the journey for searching it out ourselves. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

Try though he could, Amon was unable to sleep that night. Obviously one thing was on his mind, and it would be there to stay for awhile. So, instead of even attempting to sleep, Amon opened the window and sat by it to wait for Osuin. His presence would be a poor replacement for Robin, but he could offer a little peacefulness to him nonetheless. Amon knew it wouldn't be long until his cat would return.

By chance, Amon looked down at his palm. He began to study the lines carefully as Robin had once done. Was there really a map of his destiny engraved into him? Was her fortune accurate? Amon scoffed at the idea. His palm was in no more control of his fate than the stars themselves. How could so much be told from so little? And yet, he did not for a moment doubt that Robin had spoken anything but the truth when reading his palm. Amon supposed she had that kind of effect on him.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a soft scratching noise from below. Amon looked down at the window and immediately saw that Osuin was coming up the fire escape. He stood away to let him in. The cat meowed happily and shook the tiniest amount of water off of himself—Amon had noted that it had been drizzling very lightly out.

"Hurry up." He grumbled. "This window needs to be closed already. You're fortunate that Robin likes you so much." Amon had never been one to speak to animals before, and he was not quite sure why he was starting now.

Osuin meowed again—this time with a hint of annoyance towards his owner, and walked into the room.

Suddenly, he tensed up, as if seeing something that frightened him. Amon watched curiously from afar. A low hiss from deep within him could be heard. Now it was Amon's turn to be annoyed. "…What?" Osuin was looking distinctly inside his bedroom, so Amon began walking towards it. "There's nothing here…" He started to say. But as he approached closer and closer, he could feel that something was not quite right.

It was then that he noticed a soft, red glow coming from his desk. It was Robin's necklace. Amon was perplexed and could offer no explanation to himself for the cause of it. He quickly strode over and examined the pendant in his hand. "I thought this could only glow while someone holds it during sleep. But I'm awake. Does this mean I should go to sleep right now and see what happens?"

No, that would be an impossibility. Amon had too many things on his mind for sleep. Especially because Robin would be…wait…

"Could it be that this necklace be connected to her somehow? Is she trying to tell me something?" Amon could only wonder. Was it a warning? Was she in danger? Or did it simply not mean anything at all? No, clearly the glow had a purpose. Amon squeezed it gently in the palm of his hand. Surprisingly, when he opened it up again, the glow began to flicker lightly. Finally, the radiance died completely. Amon didn't know what to make of it.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Osuin jump up next to him on the table curiously and look at the necklace. Amon decided he should do his own investigations and wheeled his chair to the computer in order to check his e-mail. There were three from Zaizen concerning certain witch investigations, and one from Kosaka with thanks for attending the graduation banquet. Finding nothing of note, Amon shut it off and moved into the living room to find any tidbit from the news about anything that was peculiar.

It was then that his cell phone rang. Amon glanced at his clock—it was much too late for any sort of normal call, which meant one of two things: a witch had been sighted, or…there was some sort of other emergency.

"This is Amon. What is it?"

"Amon, it's Michael…" He could immediately sense that something was wrong. But he was most certainly not expecting a call from _him_.

"…Michael? Did you find some new information?"

There was a pause. "Er, no…actually, it's about your graduating class…it's sort of a long story, but…they're in trouble. Really, really bad trouble." Amon's breath froze as Michael proceeded to fill him in with the detail of what happened at the Factory. "…The last thing I heard was 'destroy it,' meaning of course, my communicator they used to talk with me, and then all the signals we had were cut off. They're probably still in there."

'Robin…' He KNEW she shouldn't have gone. But it was too late for regret now. "What time was it then?"

"That was only about ten minutes ago." The same time the necklace was glowing. "You were the first person I called, because, well…you're their trainer. I thought you'd be the best one to talk to."

"…Me?" Robin had filled him in with the basic details, but he didn't know that his entire graduating _class _had been there.

"Michael, where are you right now?"

"I'm inside the STN-J training building, in my room with all the security equipment."

"Alright. Expect some visitors in an hour, and keep a close eye on the situation in the Factory."

"You got it Amon. See you then." There was a click. Amon sighed, and shut off the phone with a quick slam.

He had not anticipated this. What was Zaizen scheming? From what Michael had told him, he was talking with Sakaki as Amon's training class was fighting each other. Suddenly, a third person had appeared, and, it didn't matter which side you were on as a craft user—all were knocked to the ground to end the fight. Amon suspected that it must've taken an enormous force to defeat all of his students so easily. Whoever it was knew some things about controlling crafts. Almost immediately an idea began to dawn on Amon, but it went away as quickly as it had come.

"No, it couldn't be…"

Instead, Amon fished Robin's necklace out to look at it one last time. It had the usual gleam that most pendants gave off, but nothing more. "Robin…where are you? What should I do?" It was strange to him for talking to himself like that, but somehow, looking at her necklace, he didn't feel alone. "I know what I may seem like, but I don't always have the answer…I need you here for that extra voice." He almost smiled.

Almost.

But instead, his face remained grim for the situation. His Robin had been taken from him, and it was clear that there was only one path to take. Now, not only did he need to take revenge upon the Factory for his mother, but also for Robin. His expression hardened with cold emotion. After Amon slipped the necklace thoughtfully back into his pocket, he grabbed his coat from its hook and left.

* * *

Amon didn't want this to be his first stop, but it was the closest to his apartment. He knew exactly what he needed to do, but he was going to need some help. With a bit of hesitation, Amon knocked on the door.

After a tense moment passed, the door opened. It was Nagira. He had a newspaper in one hand, a wireless phone in the other, and an expression of mixed feelings. "…You know what time it is, Amon?"

He nodded. "I need your help, Nagira."

"I know. I just got off the phone with Michael. How much time do we have with this then?"

Amon smirked. He _knew _he could count of Nagira. "We don't have much time. I'd like to get there as soon as possible." He paused. "Are you sure Michael explained the situation fully?"

Nagira peeled his coat out of the closet. "Yep. The Factory's got our students down there. I intend to bring 'em back." His voice held iron determination in it. "With any luck…they're not hurt…"

A chill ran down Amon's spine. He didn't want to even _consider _that. Robin was too strong and knowledgeable for that. The practical side of him said that the Factory would at least make use of her for experiments instead of a simple killing…but again, he would not think about it.

"I'm sure they're fine, Nagira."

His brother sighed as he was finished putting on his shoes. "…And what exactly are we supposed to do, anyways? It's not like we can just break into the damn place—security will be tripled from what it was before."

"Maybe."

Nagira looked at him sharply. "What? You got a plan or something, Amon?"

"We'll see. First though, we need to talk with Karasuma…"

He nodded in agreement. "Okay then, that's where we can go next. Well, I'm ready to leave now…let's go."

As they proceeded to walk quickly down the street, Amon glanced around uneasily several times. Instinct was telling him that someone was watching the two brothers. Hopefully, his instinct had only jumped too fast to conclusions with their present situation.

* * *

"Karasuma? You in there?" Nagira pounded on her apartment door. They had opted to take a few shortcuts here and there, some of them slightly below the legal line. But it had saved them some time. And now, Karasuma was taking her time answering the door.

Eventually, a head peered through. It was understandably perplexed. "Nagira? Amon? What're you guys doing here?"

Amon cleared his throat and explained the situation briefly. As each detail of the story passed, her eyes grew wider and wider. "You…you mean that OUR students tried to break into the Factory headquarters!? By _themselves_!? Didn't they realize getting caught was practically inevitable!?"

Nagira sighed. "They're kids. They think they can do anything. But the world isn't like some action movie. The bad guys win sometimes too."

Amon scoffed. "To the STN-J, they ARE the 'bad guys.' They break into the Factory and try to go where they shouldn't go."

"And you say Michael was in on this too?"

"Yeah. If Kosaka would hear about this, Michael would most likely be fired. He doesn't allow this sort of thing from an STN-J staff member. Michael is in some serious hot water."

Amon grunted in annoyance. "Forget about _that_, we've got more important things to worry about."

"Of course." Karasuma agreed. "But what can we do?"

"I'm not sure. Michael wants us to meet with him back at the STN-J training facility."

Nagira looked at him. "You don't suppose he has a plan for us to break into the Factory for them…do you?"

"I'm not sure, but if he does, then I agree with him. There's definitely some foul play going on here. From the way Michael told the story, it sounded like Zaizen shot down our own students—the ones that were working for _him_. The Factory is trying to cover up something, and won't let anyone learn about it. The students must've been onto something. I doubt the Factory would let them just walk away."

Karasuma sighed. "I've been wondering lately about that myself. They keep everything so secretive in there—it's not hard at all to become just a little suspicious of what they _really _do to the witches."

"Experiments."

They both stared at him. "…What do you mean?" She asked.

"Experiments." Amon repeated simply. "They do experiments on the witches to research data and make Orbo stronger. From what I gather, not all of the tests are…ethical." His tone became a shade graver.

"…The hell are you talking about, Amon?" Nagira asked in disbelief. "You can't be serious…right?"

He nodded. "I _am _serious, Nagira. That's what they do there."

Karasuma shook her head. "But how can you know that? It just seems like baseless speculation to me."

"It's not." He answered, with no elaboration at all. But he said it in the type of tone that conveyed he was absolutely sure.

Amon could tell that Karasuma was still skeptical, but she chose not to communicate it. "…Well, regardless, I don't think we should go in there and bail them out. They need to accept whatever consequences there might be."

A cold hand began to twist at his heart. Robin was there. If he couldn't manage to convince them for help with it, then he would probably never see her again. "The consequence could be confinement, just like the other witches there. Or even worse…death."

She sighed. "Tell me, who else is planning to help us?"

"There's no time to find anyone else. We need to get over to the STN-J for Michael, and quick."

"C'mon, Karasuma…" Nagira pressed. "They're just kids. They could be in serious danger."

Karasuma was silent for a few moments, and then said finally, "…Alright. You guys win—I'll come over to the STN-J. Let me quick get my shoes on. And you BETTER be right about all of this, Amon."

A flash of relief washed over him. There was hope for Robin yet.

* * *

"Hurry in here, you guys." Michael motioned them quickly into the STN-J security room. "We don't have much time."

"What happened?" Amon asked immediately.

"Everything that I heard during my communication with Sakaki has been recorded. I'll play it back for you now." Michael wheeled his chair over to a small machine and pressed a green button. It began to sputter out a few blurred noises, and then started playing back coherent messages.

_"Everyone!__ There's ten craft users in all! Pick one to fight—but stay close-" _The voice was cut off by attacks.

Nagira raised an eyebrow. "That sounded like my student Sakaki."

"It was." Michael mumbled miserably. "He was the one to develop the plan. For awhile, you can only hear fighting going on. I'll fast forward it." He pressed another button with his finger.

_"-Handle it from here."_ A woman's voice this time. A gunshot was fired. _"Don't try anything funny."_

There was a pause, and then a younger female cried out _"Who ARE you!?"_

Again, Nagira looked surprised. "And that sounded like Doujima. Michael, just who the hell was all in this!?"

Before he could reply, the woman spoke again. _"I am Dr. Solomon."_ The recording stopped. Michael punched a button and it rewound.

"I lost my communication with Sakaki there." He frowned unhappily.

The other three were in a stunned silence. "Did…did that woman say…she was Dr. Solomon?" Karasuma asked slowly.

"Interesting…a woman…" Amon rubbed his chin. "So she IS alive." All the anger he had put upon himself for losing Robin was automatically transferred to this new doctor. 'Remain calm, Amon. You've been in tight situations like this before and you can do it again.' He turned to Michael. "Do you have any idea how we might be able to get in?"

Michael swiveled his chair around to his computer and began typing. "Yeah, I think I do. Because they broke in, security will be focused on them, not us. That'll be our chance to slip in. They'll be distracted with trying to get everything organized again." He printed out a map and handed it to him. "I can tap into a lot of the network security, but the rest will be up to you guys. Here's a decent map of the Factory's hallways. It'll help you enough."

Amon studied it. "They should be holding them here." He pointed to one of the rooms. It looked to resemble a row of individual rooms, small enough for one person…like a cell. "…So that's where we'll go." They nodded slowly.

'Robin's in there.' He thought as he looked down at the spot he had noted. His jaw involuntarily tightened. 'Hang on, Robin…I won't lose you so easily. Just wait a little longer, and I'll be there.'

* * *

Review Responses:

CrazyFemaleDragon: Hahaha, well two weeks later isn't so bad…right?

Shawn Provoncha: Arigato! I'll see you then!

Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Well I did update, the same day that you e-mailed me! Hehehe. And you need to update too, right? =D

Wake-Robin: Thanks! I hope you'll be able to read this next section then.

Cat: Why thank you! I'm always afraid that Amon is OOC. Glad you like everything!

Dreamcatcher89: Well you remember in chapter 15, when Amon and Robin were looking at the book and found Solomon's name? Yeah, that's where it comes from. Anyways yeah I agree, they are SO cute for each other. XD

theUniverseBeyond: Woohoo, I got seashells too! Want some? Lol! Yeah I think everyone was expecting Amon to come in, hehe.

Youkai no Yume: Well it wasn't your fault hon. It was just used your address to make it look like it was coming from a friend. And what the hell? Why was it taken off? Maybe you shouldn't be writing that story on here anymore…I don't know. Hopefully that'll stop, ne?

bravedragon: Hahaha PLEASE don't read my RK story. It's, quite frankly, awful…although it IS better when you read the unedited version.

Gundamwinggirl: Happy birthday (cake). Yeah now that you mention it, he DOES seem like a doberman guy! Oh well, I luff cats. =D

kymjo: Arigato! I'm glad you like it!

Yuna of Paradise: Ah, that's okay, Vira understands! Did you have a fun time? I like that pic of Tidus and Yuna…

Haruya: Yeah, that's certainly true. And do you remember in chapter 15 when Amon and Robin found her name in the book? Yeah, that's where it was first mentioned. Just so you know!

DarkPyroPlanet: Yeah I thought about dedicating a chapter to the banquet but then I realized I should've probably moved on. Sorry! Hehehe. Surgery sucks! Vira is sorry that you had to have it. The laptop thing also sucks. Get well soon!

MidnightBlade07: To say the least! Hehehe. Glad you like it!

Yuna of Paradise (again): Wow, it is? That's okay, there's only going to be one more chappy after all…well here's the update for you!

Yuna of Paradise (again): Sure, I'd love to see it. Send by e-mail please! And yeah, you need a scanner to put it into the computer.

Midnight Walker: Of course! Go to my website and you'll find a link there on how to become a successful fanfic writer. Have fun!

And done! Hold onto your seats, my dear readers—one chapter left! What's going to happen!? Will Amon find Robin? Who knows? I don't! =D For now though, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


	20. The Training Of The Heart

Alright, it's time at last to wrap this story up. This is my longest chapter yet (I didn't want to leave on a small note, hehe). My A/Ns will be at the bottom of the page this time. Like always, I don't own WHR, nor ever will, and here's the final chapter to this fanfic:

* * *

_Death…and life.__ Anger…and happiness. Conflict. Peace. Hatred. Love. All must have each other to exist. Destruction. Renewal. Ending. Beginning. Opposites become stronger. Humans and witches. Man and woman. This is the simple truth one must learn to face._

There was one weak light bulb flickering in her room. This was the first thing Robin noticed when she opened her eyes. 'What happened to me?' No, scratch that. Where were the others? "Ow…" She reached down to clutch her stomach. Something didn't feel right. Robin stared weakly at the door and attempted to use her fire to melt it, but for some reason it wasn't working. "That bullet must've had some Orbo in it that somehow spread to all of us and nullified our crafts." She hoped it was only temporary.

"That's correct." A voice said from between the door's bars. Robin squinted—her eyes made things fuzzy. But she could tell it was Dr. Solomon standing there.

* * *

_Too often we loose something dear to us._

Amon's jaws clenched tightly together. He was staring straight at the Factory now—the place Robin was being held. If she wasn't there…if she wasn't okay…but again he would simply not think about that possibility. He _knew _she was in there…safe for now.

_If our will is exceptionally strong, then hope for a swift return will always remain._

"Everyone ready?" Karasuma asked from the driver's seat. They nodded solemnly. It was now or never. "Okay, here we go…"

_And if our determination is unbendable, we may begin the journey for searching it out ourselves._

Amon shifted slightly in his seat. The place was starting to look a lot bigger as they were getting closer. But he didn't care—he only wished they could take as little amount of time as possible getting through all of the security. Every second would count. 'Hold on, Robin…'

* * *

_As one becomes older, it is known all too well that sacrifices must commonly be made._

She blinked. "You…you're Dr. Solomon? The owner and creator of Solomon, the company? And the same doctor that was part of the Memory Reconstruction Project that took place a few years back here?"

_Some are easier than others._

"Ah, so you've heard about it then? So your group WAS the same one that broke into this place months ago and stole our data…" She stopped suddenly. "You know, little girl, you remind me oddly of another witch that we caught a few years back…"

_But then we come to the point in our life when the biggest sacrifice of all must be given._

Robin's face tightened. "Maria Sena. She was my mother."

_It is inevitable._

Her eyes twinkled evilly. "Ah yes. Quite a spirit, she was…more importantly, she gave us great data in our research."

* * *

_It is said that all good things must come to an end._

"This is our last chance to turn around…" Karasuma said nervously to them.

_Where there is a beginning…there is a finish._

"No way." Nagira grinned in the back of the van. "We're just getting started…I'm not backing out now. 'Sides, those kids need our help. I know you haven't forgotten _that_…we can't just leave them. Right Amon?"

_A balanced equation.___

"Yeah." He answered back. But who was he kidding? He really didn't give a damn about most of the kids in there. Half of them were working for Zaizen and against the rest of his class. His only concern was, of course, for her. "We're nearly there, Karasuma…"

_No matter how hard we want it, we cannot prevent the inevitable—the final stage of it all._

She nodded, and reached for her mask for the Factory suit they were all wearing. "Then here we go…"

* * *

_If you always know which direction in life to take, then you simply aren't human._

"But why!?" Robin cried to the doctor from her cell. "My mother never harmed anyone…she was a good witch!"

_Some decisions must be made in an instant, while others are carefully thought out._

"We decided that she was too powerful for her own good. She would've been a danger to society had she been allowed to live. And so, to make the rest of the world safe…she was gone."

_An accidental mistake in life is neither uncommon not unnatural._

Robin felt some unknown strength surge through her body suddenly. She stood up. "You're wrong! My mother never wanted to harm anyone! And neither do a lot of the witches that live in this place! You only bring them here so you can collect data to make your Orbo stronger!" Small tears started to come down Robin's face. This woman was…a monster.

* * *

_Safety…the comforting word that gives many of us hope.___

"What took you guys so long!?" The security guard to the right shouted. "We've needed back-up for hours! I assume you heard about what happened over the radio—hurry on over there for the damage assessment."

_Only through working together can a group accomplish a greater goal._

"R-Right." Karasuma squeaked back nervously to him through the window. They lifted the gate up and she proceeded to drive through. After a few more moments, she said, "I…I hope we're doing the right thing…"

_Is there such a thing as a safe passageway?_

"There's no turning back now—besides, we're in the clear with the security." Nagira pointed out. "Nothing will happen to us for now."

_Only if we settle our differences first.___

She sighed. "I guess you're right. And I suppose we can't stop now, so why not go through with it, eh?" Karasuma glanced casually over at Amon's side of the car. "Hey Amon, I think the light to show that a signal is coming from Michael is flashing…"

* * *

_Emotions can be shown in so many different ways._

Robin's rage kept rising and rising as she looked at the woman before her that caused the deaths of so many innocent lives. It just wasn't _right. _Nobody deserved to be used like the Factory used the witches. And Dr. Solomon clearly saw this in her face.

_A kiss...or a slap.___

"Amon will come to get me…and then…then, you'll see…"

_A smile...or a frown.___

Why did she just say that?

_Each can express all feelings bottled up inside._

Amon _would _come for her…right? Robin _still _didn't know what his feelings for her were. What was she to him anyways? She recalled the gestures and signs that he had given to her in the past. Little things really, but they showed that he cared. Amon cared enough to worry about her.

_Some, however, choose more complicated ways to show emotions._

"What name did you just say?" Dr. Solomon asked her from the door with an interest expression. "Was it Amon?"

_More may be conveyed._

Even more anger rose inside of her. "Why does it matter to you? You'll be meeting him soon enough anyways…" The woman laughed quickly.

* * *

_Secrets cannot be held to silence for very long._

Amon pulled out the map, and the three of them moved stealthily down the hallways. Just as Michael had said, there were no security guards at all. Too busy taking care of the students. They went into an elevator while Michael was constantly giving them updates about the security. "We're almost there, Robin…"

_The longer a secret is kept, the greater the urge to say it._

Nagira looked at him sharply. "Robin? You mean that one student of yours who was hospitalized for a few days? Why are you more worried about her than all the others down there?"

_Sometimes we don't want it to be known, but deception can be a great burden._

Amon closed his eyes quickly. Why did he just say her name aloud like that? "I want them _all _to get out of here, Nagira."

* * *

_Determining what is right and wrong can either become a simple task or a hard decision._

"I wouldn't worry about him rescuing you." The woman said. "You're not going anywhere for awhile." She started to walk away.

_To some, the correct path is not as clear as one might think. _

'Should I just let her leave? Do I question her some more about the Factory? The project? About my mother?'

_Some things cannot be seen with light._

Robin could do none of those things, because at that moment, her mind started to darken again. By the time she focused things together again, Dr. Solomon had already left her cell door. Robin slid down the wall and laid on the ground numbly.

* * *

_Deception…a world of illusion that can change one's life.___

"That's far enough." The three of them whirled around to see Zaizen standing before them with five other security guards. He held his gun straight at Amon. "The traitors come out at last." Amon felt for his gun in his pocket.

_Reality is twisted and contorted to create a multitude of falsehoods._

"Traitors?" Nagira spat in disgust. "You're one talk, Zaizen. You've locked up our own students." Zaizen did not reply to this, but only pointed the gun towards him instead. Karasuma looked at Amon out of the corner of his eye. He nodded.

_But in the end, only one truth will prevail._

"GO!" The three dove behind the hallway's corner just in time for the bullets to whiz by. "We need to get out of here!" Amon shouted. "There's another way to the cell rooms if we hurry fast enough!"

* * *

_Our destinies reside in our own hands._

'I've got to get out of here…' Robin thought weakly. She felt that her craft was gradually returning to her. They would be coming back soon with another shot of Orbo for her, so she needed to act quickly.

_They await our command, and will take us down the path we have decided upon._

She concentrated deeply on the bars to the door. A tiny, tiny flame appeared. It flickered next to it and slowly, slowly melted the metal. Robin collapsed. She had used all of her energy for now. The door's window bars would not be enough to escape.

_The future cannot be determined with fate alone._

"A…mon…"

* * *

_There will always be times in our lives when we hear something we wish we didn't._

"You guys go ahead!" Nagira shouted. "I've got a score to settle with this bastard…" He held up his gun.

_We become oblivious...ignorant...blind to the truth._

Amon stared at him. "We can't let you do that, Nagira. You'd be outnumbered six to one."

_But the mask of truth will be lifted for us, one way or another._

"Nagira, you're going to get yourself killed!" Karasuma shouted. More bullets went by. "Have you gone insane!?"

_You can't run from your fate._

"Just go already! I'm going to finish Zaizen here and now! And don't even think about trying to stop me!" He leapt up against the corner of the hallway and began to shoot once there was a pause. Both of them knew they couldn't argue any further, and so, after looking at him one last time before leaving, sprinted down the hallway hurriedly.

* * *

_Throughout one's life, it is impossible to avoid conflict._

Robin lifted her head up suddenly. In the distance, she heard bullets being shot. Somehow, she knew it was Amon coming for her. Who else could it be? She listened intensely. No, maybe it wasn't…it sounded like there were a lot of people fighting.

_Greed, jealousy, betrayal…all are ingredients for this._

"Amon, please be okay…" She hated this place with all of her heart. She didn't like the sound of more bullets being fired, either.

_Sometimes however…a person may fight for no reason at all._

"Stand up." Robin urged herself. "Try melting the door again…"

_Deep inside, some enjoy it._

As more bullets came, she knew she still couldn't. Once again she slid down to the floor helplessly.

* * *

_Often times, we are ungrateful._

'Damn.' Amon thought as they continuously fired bullets and ran down the hallway. 'Damn Nagira. He shouldn't have…he shouldn't have…' But he knew that it had saved them some time. Still…

_We are ungrateful to our parents._

Suddenly, as he ran past one of the rooms, he noticed it said 'Storage Room 12' on it. The memory of his dream rushed back to him. "That's the same room that my mother was held in…"

_We are ungrateful to our community._

"Did you say something Amon?" Karasuma shot one of the security guards and looked over at him.

_But most importantly…too often we forget to thank the one we are the closest with: the person we need the most._

NO. He would not allow being distracted from his goal. "Sorry Mom…" Amon murmured. "I've got to take care of something else first." Karasuma looked at him with confusion for a moment, and then chose to ignore it. Amon took a quick look at the map. "They should be just around the corner." She nodded and they went down the hallway. Amon could almost sense that Robin was very near by…

* * *

_Dreams are only what our imagination conjures up during in slumber._

Robin looked up with a frozen face. Did her ears deceive her? Surely they must have. If only she was strong enough to get up and see…

_They are…an illusion._

Suddenly, a figure looked at her through the window. Her eyes made things too blurred to properly see who it was. But the figure looked to be dark and foreboding, which could only mean…

_But sometimes a dream can be a key._

"Robin!" Shots could be heard against the wall, and the door was soon kicked open. Light flooded the room, and an illusion was given that the light was coming straight out of him as he entered quickly.

_A key to understanding.___

Relief washed over her. "Amon…Amon!" She tried to stand up in order to meet him, but she collapsed in her weakened state. Upon seeing this, he rushed forward to Robin and held her steady. The relief of feeling his warm body safe and sound made her feel dizzy with happiness.

_A key to comprehension.___

"Robin…" He embraced her tightly. "I was worried about you…" They were at last together again. She felt his heart beat fast.

_A key…to our lives.___

His hands moved automatically to his pocket and smiled. "I believe this is yours." He put her necklace in her hand and closed the fingers. Before she could say anything else, he scooped her up from the floor. "We need to hurry. Let's get out of here before they come back for us…" Amon stepped out of the door with Robin in his arms.

* * *

_There are two types of pain a person can experience: the physical…and the emotional._

"Going somewhere?" Amon turned around to see a woman standing near them with a gun pointed straight at him. He recognized her voice to be none other than Dr. Solomon herself. The gun she was holding was a special type designed for some powerful Orbo. Before he had time to react, a shot was fired. He felt the bullet hit his left shoulder slightly. She smirked. "Your skull is next."

_When injured, a recovery always proceeds._

He saw Robin leave his grasp to confront her opponent with determination. Despite the pain he held his arm out. "Robin…no…"

_But sometimes…sometimes a little pain stays._

She looked back and smiled at him. "I'll be fine, Amon. You just stay over there, okay?" He looked at her in horror as she turned back to the doctor. "It's time you stopped doing this. Enough." He saw her eyes blaze a dangerous fire.

_If disturbed, the wound grows bigger and bigger.___

Amon felt around for his gun. It was knocked down to about ten feet away from them. If he didn't act soon, Robin might meet the same fate that both of their mothers once did.

* * *

_The world is full of lies._

She fired her gun again. Flames instantly met the bullet. Robin looked at her sadly. "It's time to give up. No more."

_People create falsehoods for reasons of self-gain._

Her eyes widened. "No…no, that can't be…the Orbo was injected into you…it's impossible for you to use your craft!" She fired again and again. The flames licked the metal away quickly.

_Sometimes, however…sometimes your entire life can be a lie.___

"…You see? It's no use." Robin looked back at Amon for a moment with a worried expression. He was okay—the wound wasn't serious.

_Many prefer their delusional world to the real fact._

"No…" The doctor whispered. "That Orbo had years of research behind it…why are you still able to-!?" She reached for something in her pocket. "Does this mean all those years of researching were for nothing? If so…" She fired again, but there were more flames. Robin looked at her hand. It held a controller. She pushed a red button. "…Then the experiments must be terminated. And soon, you will be too." The doctor smirked. Robin's eyes widened as the hallway lights began to flash red.

* * *

_Friendship is essential to happiness._

"Michael, can you stop it?" Amon asked to him through the communication device. When he reported the negative, Amon grabbed Robin's hand. "All of the witches' rooms have been set to self-destruct. We need to get out of here!" There was no WAY he was going to lose her now.

_If there is no level of fondness between one another then there can never be a sense of trust, understanding, or faith._

She nodded with complete trust, and they began to run away from the insane doctor. But then she stopped suddenly. "But Amon, what about-?"

_Without it comes betrayal, revenge, and hopelessness._

"-Don't worry." He answered after reading her thoughts. "Karasuma freed the rest of them while we confronted Dr. Solomon. Michael told me the class is okay with Nagira and her. With luck, they should already be out of this place." The walls began to creak. He looked at her again worriedly. He would stay with Robin until the end. She nodded with the relief at knowing they were safe, and together the hunters ran down the hallway.

* * *

_Emotions can be twisted in the cruelest of ways._

Robin turned her head around one last time to see the place. All of those witches…they would be dead…it was just so unfair. She wanted to do something to save all of them…they, who were innocent.

_Some are stronger than others, but that does not prevent the inevitable for every one of us._

Suddenly, she felt a hand around her waist. It was guiding her forward to the exit. "Come on." He whispered. "We're almost there."

_All sediments are capable of crumbling within seconds of having been formed._

As they were running down the last bit of the hallway, a large block of concrete fell down and separated them. "_Amon!_" She shrieked. Robin tried to search around for him but the dust was too great. A few minutes later, the entire Factory was in flames.

* * *

_The heart is a fragile thing._

Six years later, Robin was sitting at a table, eating wedding cake quietly. All of her friends were there—the entire STN-J graduating class, Harry, Michael, Miss Karasuma, Nagira…and then, of course, the bride and the groom: Doujima and Sakaki. Everyone had given their congratulations, and now, the reception was coming to a close. Sakaki had proposed to Doujima soon after Robin's grandfather had died, and so the sadness she felt over this was eased away a little from the exciting news. A lot of people were shocked that they were both ready for a serious commitment, but Robin knew all along. The ceremony had gone smoothly over all, except for the slight problem with a few buttons on Doujima's dress, which Robin and Miss Karasuma had been busy fixing. She finished the rest of her cake in a bored manner, stood up to congratulate them once again, and went outside to get a little fresh air. They were right next to a lake, and so she gazed at it peacefully for several moments. Still though, something was missing…

_It is the center of a being…yet it can break so easily._

"I knew I'd find you out here." Robin turned around and watched as her husband approached her. She smiled, and met him with a small kiss as one arm rested on her waist. She could never leave him for very long—not only were they married, but they were also hunting partners. True, the STN-J no longer worked for Solomon, but they were still able to capture bad witches safely for another company. After the Factory had been burned down, the STN-J merged with the different company so they could always monitor where the witches were being taken.

_A weak heart will be consumed by regret and bitterness, but a rightfully strong heart will live on._

Robin felt for the wedding band on his finger. It was the final proof that he truly loved her. She remembered happily how he had proposed to her—calmly and casually, as if he was talking about the weather—and after that, their wedding day…and then, of course, their energetic wedding night. She blushed slightly, even now. "Why, I don't know what you're talking about, Amon." She answered innocently. "I've just been out here, waiting for you…" He smiled through her lips and kissed her even deeper pleasantly. That smile of his…she never got tired of seeing it. She giggled. "A…Amon…we can't…we're in public…" He responded to this by picking her up swiftly and walking back to the car. Robin hugged his strong shoulders carelessly and smiled. Although he had trained her craft, she had trained his heart…now, they would be happy together. And if they would have a girl in July or a boy in May…well, that would be just fine with her.

* * *

Review Responses:

Dreamcatcher89: I agree. Although to be honest, Robin beat Solomon more than Amon, heh.

vegetasprincess1: Yeah that would really suck. Thank goodness that never happened, ne?

Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Oh yeah, the whole hurricane thing. Well I hope you're safe! I start school tomorrow actually, and I can already tell it's going to suck. I hope things turned out okay for you.

Yuna of Paradise: Haha I know, 15 rocks. I just wish…I dunno, they could've confirmed our speculations that their feelings were more than just about friendship/hunting partners. Meh. Anyways, I'm glad to know you had a nice trip…

Amon's Angel of Darkness: Sorry, there's no possibility for a sequel, and you'll be happy to know that the Factory did NOT, in fact, collapse of the two. That would've really sucked…

Wake-Robin: Will do! Glad you've enjoyed it…

Gundamwinggirl: Hahaha I'm sure Amon wouldn't be too happy if he heard you call him a lovesick puppy. Lol! And I'm really glad that I made you less nervous. School isn't that bad! And I will start tomorrow, so hopefully this will calm me down, heh.

Haruya: Well yeah, Dr. Solomon wasn't in the original anime…she's a character that I made up. For more info on her and everything you can see the bottom section right below this one.

kymjo: Everyday!? Well I hope this is fast enough for you! =D

MidnightBlade07: Yes, Amon seems to be very protective, ne?

Cat: Yeah I don't want it to end either, but then I _do _want it to end. Lol. So yeah, I know how you feel. I'm not going to make another WHR fic/sequel to this story (too much anime, not enough time). And yeah, I write the 'simple truth' things myself.

CrazyFemaleDragon: Arigato! I hope you like the ending!

GoddessOfTheFlames: Thanks! Glad you like it…

* * *

And now, here's the FAQ part of this final update…

**Q: **Will there be a sequel for this story? **A: **No. I like the ending just the way it is.

**Q: **Are you going to make any other Witch Hunter Robin stories in the future? **A: **No, probably to a lot of my readers' disappointment, lol. It's for a couple of reasons, really. One is that I don't want to be known as a 'WHR author' here. In fact, I don't want to be known as an author to _any_ particular genre. Another is that, contrary to what it may seem, working with the same characters day after day gets kind of boring. Although you'll be happy to know that I really LOVE working with Amon/Robin/all the other characters. The anime is just too cool and screamed 'make a fanfiction based on me' when the 15th episode came on the air.

**Q: **I still don't understand the whole 'Dr. Solomon' thing. **A: **Well first off, the woman Dr. Solomon is a fictional character that I made up. That said, her name was first mentioned in Chapter 15, when Amon and Robin were reading the glossary page of the book she found. They forgot about it after that, but then she makes a bodily appearance in the 18th chapter. She was kind of the _true _evil person, the one behind the scenes, and Zaizen was only her right-hand man.

**Q: **So what exactly happened to Amon after the Factory burned? **A: **That's kind of up to the reader to decide, but we can basically assume he escaped with his life somehow and met up with Robin later. Please excuse me for being evil on that part and leaving you guys in suspense, hehehe.

**Q: **And what _really _happened with their mothers? **A: **Again, that's up to the reader, but they're definitely dead…

**Q: **What will you be working on in the future? **A: **Currently I am working on my Sess&Kag paired Inuyasha fic, The Demonic Struggle for Love, which is a sequel to The Involuntary King and Queen. Go read it if you have time! After that, I have a strong feeling that I will start up with some sort of Wolf's Rain fanfiction. That anime is so cool. It sure is taking adult swim a long time to completely air all of it though, lol. And I have no idea which two characters will be part of the pairing (any advice on that?). I definitely need to wait until I see all of it, though.

**Q: **Can you beta/read/review any of my stories? **A: **Sure. But only if you review for one of my stories first, hehehe. Tell me what the link is or the name of the story and I'll see what I can do.

**Q: **Can I beta read your story? **A: **Again, yes. I have a small rule that you must have at least one story with an average of ten reviews per chapter. If you're interested, e-mail me by the address in my profile (not my MSN one).

And that'll be all for me. Thank you ALL readers/reviewers. You guys make it all worth it! Really! And thank you to the company that made WHR (I forget the name but I know it's the same one that made Cowboy Bebop). If you have any further questions then please e-mail me. Again, I truly had a lot of fun writing this, and it was a challenge at times. For now, it's off to Inuyasha once again. I hope you enjoyed this story. R&R! Arigato, ja ne!


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